A woman from Indiana County, her mother and sister were arrested yesterday and charged with stealing about $250,000 from a Washington County business.
State police say 52-year-old Laurie Christ of Scottdale, 30-year-old Amanda Christ of Jeannette, and 31-year-old Lyndsey Christ of Shelocta are accused of using company credit cards from the Connors Group, a management consultant company in Canonsburg.
The mother, Laurie Christ, was a record keeper authorized to make purchases on the company credit card and issue cards to other employees. Police say she gave cards to Amanda Christ, who also worked for the company, and to Lyndsey Christ, who was not an employee, and told them they could make personal purchases. Laurie Christ then altered company records and paid the bills with company funds. She is accused of spending about $128,000; her daughter Amanda, about $44,000; Lyndsey, who lives in Armstrong Township, is accused of spending about $78,000.
The company’s owner alerted police to the suspicious credit card statements, triggering a review that showed the fraudulent purchases were made between December of 2015 and March of this year. The sisters admitted making personal purchases, but at substantially lower amounts; Laurie claimed she spent $15,000 and Lyndsey $25,000.
The mother, Laurie Christ, is charged with five felonies: two counts of theft by deception and three counts of unauthorized access of a device. The two daughters, Amanda and Lyndsey, are charged with two felonies: theft by deception and unauthorized access of a device. All three are free on $50,000 unsecured bond, with preliminary hearings scheduled on August 27th in Youngwood.
