(WNY News Now) A dependable public servant who betrayed taxpayers is facing justice after receiving a term for embezzling city funds to support her gambling addiction.
HARRISBURG — Former City of Uniontown Treasurer Antoinette Hodge was sentenced to 21 to 120 months in prison for embezzling around $106,000 in public monies, Attorney General Michelle Henry stated.
A Fayette County jury found Hodge guilty last month of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, theft by failing to dispose of received monies as required, and other counts.
Hodge must pay the City of Uniontown $106,750 in restitution as part of the penalty, in addition to the expenses incurred by the city for an audit.
The Office of Attorney General brought the charges, which were the result of the 48th Investigating Grand Jury.
Attorney General Henry stated that the defendant has now been held responsible for betraying taxpayers and embezzling money intended for the city of Uniontown, so betraying her position of public trust. According to our investigation, she frequently spent hundreds of government dollars on lottery games.
In 2019, Hodge was chosen to serve as the Treasurer of the City of Uniontown. Her primary duty was to gather and deposit all of the money and cheques that the tax office received.
According to testimony given during the trial, Hodge neglected to deposit over $106,000 in cash that the Treasurer’s Office had acquired between 2020 and 2021.
Kara Rice, Senior Deputy Attorney General, prosecuted this case.