'Suspicious transactions' in Kennett Twp. bank account

‘Suspicious transactions’ in Kennett Twp. bank account

Posted by Monica Fragale on May 12, 2019

The Kennett Township Board of Supervisors posted a letter to its website Saturday about possible fraud in the township’s bank accounts.

In the letter, Supervisors Scudder Stevens, Richard Leff, and Whitney Hoffman write that the bank’s fraud department notified them on April 25 that “they had found a number of suspicious transactions on township accounts.”

The matter is now being handled by the Chester County District Attorney’s office.

The letter also makes it clear that its contents are all that can be publicly released at this point.

“Because this is a complex investigation potentially involving many legal, criminal and ethical issues, we are unable at this early point to discuss other aspects of the investigation, including any individual(s) involved,” the supervisors wrote. “We will write you again as soon as we know more. We recognize our obligation to keep you fully informed, within the guidelines provided by counsel.”

In the letter, the supervisors stressed that the township’s finances are secure and that the financial controls on the township’s end “were in place and reviewed at appropriate intervals by our auditors.”

After the bank contacted the supervisors, they consulted with the township lawyer and police and then turned it over to the district attorney.

“We also took steps to make sure no further unauthorized transactions took place,” according to the letter.

Forensic accountants and other specialists have been hired by the township to help with the investigation, according to the letter.

The full text of the letter can be found online at kennett.pa.us.

About Monica Fragale

Monica Thompson Fragale is a freelance reporter who spent her life dreaming of being in the newspaper business. That dream came true after college when she started working at The Kennett Paper and, years later The Reporter newspaper in Lansdale and other dailies. She turned to non-profit work after her first daughter was born and spent the next 13 years in that field. But while you can take the girl out of journalism, you can’t take journalism out of the girl. Offers to freelance sparked the writing bug again started her fingers happily tapping away on the keyboard. Monica lives with her husband and two children in Kennett Square.