SCRANTON -- Lackawanna County prosecutors say a worker stole nearly half a million dollars from two convenient stores.
That woman handled the books at the Cousins Convenient Marts in Jessup and Eynon.
The owners say they don't think the business would be open today if they hadn't discovered the theft when they did.
What they discovered shocked them. The woman hired to handle the books stole a few hundred dollars almost every day for three years, totaling close to a half million dollars.
That bookkeeper is Sheila Bronson of Eynon. She turned herself in Tuesday morning at the Lackawanna County Courthouse to face theft charges.
The owners of Cousin's, which has two locations in Jessup and Eynon, say they considered selling the business because they could barely make ends meet. They claim an exhaustive search over records discovered their own bookkeeper was stealing at least $100 per day for three years -- a three-year period that was already very difficult for the family that owns the business.
Running a business is hard work. Just ask Lorraine Goodfield. She says it was made even harder when more than a year ago she noticed her two locations of Cousin's Convenient Mart were rapidly losing money.
"We were looking at different avenues in the business, different departments where there could have been theft, not thinking that it would be someone we trusted," said Goodfield.
According to court papers, Goodfield's search eventually led to the businesses' bookkeeper Sheila Bronson, who was given control when Goodfield's husband was dying of cancer.
"She took advantage of a grieving family, and my husband and I were married 39 years, we have four children, they're all very involved in the business. And she took advantage of us grieving the loss of my husband and their dad," Goodfield said.
Six months after her husband's death, Goodfield says Bronson started stealing by taking cash from the register and making up the difference in the business ledger under credit card sales. In all, the theft totaled close to $500,000.
The Lackawanna County district attorney's office provided us with paperwork that shows the discrepancies in Cousin's ledgers. Each line represents a day that Sheila Bronson is accused of stealing nearly every day for three years.
"It's one of the biggest ones I remember. The allegations of the daily amounts that were taken are huge and shocking," said Lackawanna County District Attorney Shane Scanlon.
"It appears that right after her training, the owner got sick," Scanlon added. "Shortly after his death is when the thefts started. It's a huge violation of trust."
Court papers show Bronson stole at least $100 each time.
"That's pretty disgusting. That's awful to be able to trust someone with your business and they go behind your back and do something like that. It's pretty awful," said Elizabeth Chindemi of Archbald.
The Goodfields say they often questioned Bronson's lifestyle -- given that she had a part-time job -- vacationing a lot, and recently moving into a new home in Eynon.
"You get to know them and you get to trust them, and then in the meantime they're draining you of everything that you work seven days a week for," Goodfield added.
Bronson was arraigned on felony theft charges and is in the Lackawanna County Prison.
Prosecutors say Bronson was charged with theft and writing bad checks more than a decade ago and is currently on state parole. They believe Bronson was paying restitution for her past crimes with money she stole from Cousin's.