The former borough manager in Braddock pleaded guilty this morning in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court to embezzling nearly $180,000 from the borough.
Ella Jones, 58, pleaded to theft and forgery charges and will be sentenced June 1, when she will also be ordered to pay $178,149 in restitution.
Detectives with the Allegheny County District Attorney's office began the investigation in February 2010 after a Braddock police officer tipped them off about the missing money.
Ms. Jones forged the names of three borough council members and misappropriated 153 borough checks made out to herself and to the borough, eventually funneling the money to her own bank accounts, a credit union account and a check-cashing business.
First Published: March 11, 2011, 4:45 p.m.