HARRISBURG, Pa. – A federal judge in Harrisburg sentenced a former York County tax collector to 5 years’ probation for theft of public funds. Melissa Ann Arnold, age 46, was charged in February 2015 for stealing more than $300,000 from tax payments made by citizens to Spring Garden Township, York County during 2008 and 2009. Arnold plead guilty in March.
Arnold was the Treasurer and Tax Collector for Spring Garden Township from 1995 until October 2009. She was able to steal the tax payments because many of the checks were written out to her and, rather than deposit the checks into the Township’s account, she deposited them into her personal account.
York County submitted an insurance claim for the funds and received a significant repayment. Arnold entered into an agreement with the insurance company to pay back the full amount of the claim and has already paid almost $50,000 of the amount due.
Federal Court Judge Sylvia Rambo made payment of the balance, as well as an additional sum of almost $28,000 to Spring Garden Township for related losses, part of Arnold’s sentence in a restitution order.
