HARRISBURG — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.
HARRISBURG- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced the indictment of Kristy Scott Jewett, age 35, of Carlisle, on charges of theft of public funds.
The Indictment alleges that, from 2008 to June 2014, Jewett was the Office Manager for Forest Park Health Center and Rehabilitation in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a facility that receives in excess of $10,000 in federal benefits annually. In that capacity, Jewett had responsibility for financial accounts at Forest Park, including resident trust funds. The Indictment alleges that the funds held deposits of residents of the facility to be used for care-related and incidental expenses, and that Jewett, in each of four separate years, stole more than $5,000 of Resident Trust Fund money for her own benefit and use.
Jewett allegedly made false entries in the ledgers of the Resident Trust Fund account and falsified monthly account reconciliations provided to Forest Park managers to conceal the scheme.
The Indictment by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg was filed on September 23, 2015 and was sealed until today when Jewett was arrested, appeared in court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan E. Schwab, and was released on her own recognizance. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge William W. Caldwell.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prosecution has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph J. Terz.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law on each count is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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