Connellsville Woman Charged with $200,000 Fraud Scheme Against Her Employer

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of wire fraud, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

The two-count Indictment named Deane Petzel, 55, currently detained at FPC Alderson in Alderson, WV 24910, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment, Petzel was an Area Director for a company operating bakery-cafes in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Petzel caused the creation of a fake company, which she then used to submit fraudulent invoices for maintenance work purportedly done at the bakery-café that she supervised. In reality, no such work had been done. When Petzel approved the fraudulent invoices in her role as Area Director, she caused her employer to pay more than $200,000 in connection with the fraud.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.

Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Bengel is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.