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Former Hazle Township Solicitor Charged with Stealing from Township

HAZLE TOWNSHIP — An attorney from the Hazleton area has been charged with stealing more than $105,000 from an escrow account meant for land development. T...
theft

HAZLE TOWNSHIP — An attorney from the Hazleton area has been charged with stealing more than $105,000 from an escrow account meant for land development.

The money in question was supposed to be held in a special account by Charles Pedri, 64, of Hazleton when he was solicitor for Hazle Township.

Federal prosecutors say Pedri used the funds for his law office and for personal expenses.

According to the criminal complaint, a company developing a project in the Humboldt Industrial Park paid Hazle Township $105,586.80 to be held in escrow as security for the completion of the improvements. Pedri, as the escrow agent, deposited the money into his law office’s account.

An investigation revealed that between December 2012 and November 2013, Pedri allegedly wrote checks to himself using the funds. By November 2013, the money was gone.

The company finished the improvements in May 2014 and asked for the escrowed funds back, but Pedri failed to make payments. Prosecutors said the company indicated it would file a lawsuit in January 2015, and Pedri allegedly admitted that he used the money for his own use.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Pedri was then fired from his position with the township, and he paid restitution and agreed to a voluntary suspension of his law license for at least five years.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said it is working on a plea agreement with Pedri.

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