What started as a backyard greenhouse meant to grow food for people in need has now landed Whitehall Township tax collector Tina Koren in criminal court, with prosecutors accusing her of using her elected office to go after the neighbors next door. Koren was charged Wednesday after Lehigh County prosecutors said she harassed Mary Ellen and Steven Griffin, who run The Caring Place, an Allentown nonprofit. According to court filings, the dispute ramped up after the Griffins put up a greenhouse behind their home to grow produce for donation. Koren is presumed innocent as the case moves forward in Lehigh County court.
Prosecutors Say Tax Power Was Misused
The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, led by Gavin Holihan, announced the charges Wednesday and said Koren, acting in her official role as Whitehall Township tax collector, misled the private company that handles township business taxes. Investigators say that move triggered a series of business-tax notices that repeatedly hit the Griffins, according to CBS News Philadelphia.
Prosecutors trace the whole mess back to June 12, 2025, when, they say, Koren filed a zoning complaint accusing the Griffins of putting up the greenhouse without a permit. Officials ordered an inspection, the Griffins applied for the proper paperwork and paid for the permit, but according to the District Attorney’s Office the business-tax notices kept coming anyway.
Where Koren Works
Koren serves as both treasurer and tax collector for Whitehall Township, according to Whitehall Township. The township’s municipal website lists the treasurer and tax collector office, along with its public office hours and contact information for residents who need to pay local taxes or ask questions.
Neighbors And Nonprofit Push Back
On the other side of the property line, the Griffins say the greenhouse was built with a simple goal: feeding people. Mary Ellen Griffin told reporters the structure is used to grow fresh fruits and vegetables for donation, and she called it “a great tool to teach kids how to grow food,” as reported by CBS News Philadelphia.
The couple runs The Caring Place, a youth development center and food bank in Allentown. The organization’s website lists its operating hours and outlines its food-bank services for local families.
Legal Context
Koren faces misdemeanor counts tied to official oppression and harassment. Under Pennsylvania law, 18 Pa.C.S. § 5301 defines official oppression as conduct by a public official who knows the behavior is illegal yet subjects someone to an “assessment, lien or other infringement of personal or property rights.”
Harassment is set out in 18 Pa.C.S. § 2709 and can include repeated behavior that “serves no legitimate purpose.” Prosecutors say those statutes frame the allegations at the heart of the greenhouse dispute.
What’s Next
The case grew out of a harassment complaint the Griffins filed with Whitehall Township police in September 2025, which triggered the investigation described by prosecutors. Koren has identified herself to reporters and said her attorney would issue a statement on her behalf. Prosecutors, for their part, have stressed that the charges are allegations only and that Koren, like any defendant, is presumed innocent unless and until she is proven guilty in court.
