An employee of the Deer Lakes School District in Allegheny County has been charged with the theft of almost $130,000 in funds earmarked for student activities. 53-year-old Rachel Rominski, who worked as the accounts payable and receivable clerk, is accused of funneling the money into her personal accounts rather than the district's bank account. According to the criminal complaint, her responsibilities included the management of club fees and athletic ticket sales for deposit.
Details emerged after the district began noticing irregularities with cash deposits over the summer of 2024, prompting internal investigations before law enforcement took over. The district's investigation saw that while check payments appeared to be correctly processed, no cash payments had been deposited since the 2023-2024 school year, according to a report by WPXI. The complaint further details, various student group sponsors reported discrepancies in their financial records, which Rominski allegedly failed to address or explain satisfactorily.
The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office confirmed that the investigation uncovered Rominski had allegedly been pocketing cash payments for herself, purposely omitting these from bank deposits. Records reveal that approximately $128,454 in cash was missing from August 23, 2023, to September 17. CBS News Pittsburgh reported that Rominski faces charges of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and misapplication of entrusted property.
Rominski was arraigned yesterday, and was granted a nonmonetary bond, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for January 14.
