Ex-Fire Co. Treasurer Who Embezzled $400K Sentenced to 1-2 Years in Prison

The former Dewey Fire Company treasurer who admitted to embezzling nearly $400,000 and spending it on everything from trips to gambling over a decade was sentenced Friday to serve 1 to 2 years in county prison followed by 10 years of probation by Northampton County Senior Judge Leonard Zito, Lehigh Valley Live reported.

Her attorney had petitioned Zito for a relatively lenient sentence that would also have allowed Agnes Helen Patterson, 52, of Henry Street, Hellertown, to participate in work release and continue to make restitution, but her age and limited earning capacity–as well as her payment of only $25,000 out of her savings (a larger payment could have helped her avoid prison altogether)–influenced Zito’s decision against that request, the newspaper reported.

Patterson’s large-scale embezzlement from the 119-year-old volunteer organization that placed her in a position of trust was uncovered by authorities in 2016, and she pleaded guilty to felony charges of theft by unlawful taking and access device fraud in March, according to court records.