Democracy Has Prevailed.

June 3, 2010

More On McCullough Corruption (The Kathleen Edition)

I stumbled across this in the P-G yesterday while enjoying yet another good fine lunchtime meal downtown.

The news isn't good:
An Allegheny County jury found a Collier woman guilty Tuesday of stealing more than $1.3 million from two separate employers over a period of several years.

Kathleen A. McCullough, 47, was charged with taking $1.2 million from Mackin Engineering, where she worked as the company's controller, and later from the Radiance Surgery Center in Upper St. Clair, where she worked as office manager.

The jury in the case before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jill E. Rangos deliberated less than three hours before returning the verdict: guilty on all counts. Ms. McCullough will be sentenced on Aug. 27. She could face a sentence of up to three to six years in prison.
You remember Kathleen McCullough, right? You will in a minute.

Here's a clue:
Ms. McCullough is charged in a separate case, along with her brother, attorney and Allegheny County Councilman Charles McCullough, with defrauding an elderly Upper St. Clair widow. Mr. McCullough is charged with taking nearly $200,000 from her while acting as her attorney.

Ms. McCullough is accused of being paid to be a companion to the woman though she had no professional experience or licenses.

That case is scheduled to go to trial in October.
While the two are in charged in that separate case, the P-G reported awhile ago that Chuck McCullough was involved in this case as well:
Italo V. Mackin, president and CEO of Mackin Engineering, testified that when Ms. McCullough handled the finances and accounting for the company, she wrote more than $1 million worth of checks to herself, primarily to pay bills for her American Express card that were as high as $94,000 for a month. Mr. Mackin said he did not authorize the payments.

Mr. Mackin said he fired Ms. McCullough on a Friday in July 2006 once he learned she had been making unauthorized payments to herself. The following Monday, he said, Charles McCullough and an attorney were in his office. They met privately with Mackin vice president Jerome Schwertz.

In the meeting, Mr. Schwertz testified, Mr. McCullough maintained that the money was not stolen and accused Mr. Schwertz and Ms. McCullough of having an affair, saying Mr. Schwertz had authorized the payments. Mr. Schwertz testified that he did have an affair with Ms. McCullough for several years, but he denied it at the time.
A paragraph or so later:
Then the parties drew up a confidentiality agreement that neither side would press criminal charges or sue. Mr. Mackin said he did so to protect his family and prevent the affair from becoming public. Mr. Schwertz is married to Mr. Mackin's daughter.
From his website:
Council Member Chuck McCullough has served as an At-Large representative for the citizens of Allegheny County since January 2008. He views his role as doing whatever he can to try to help the residents of Allegheny County who are in need and is committed to doing so.
Isn't it nice to see an Allegheny County Councilman working so hard on behalf of a constituent?

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