Police: Lehigh County Man Denied Spending $7,400 for Exotic Dances

Robert L. Tostevin Jr., 54, of Allentown allegedly tricked his credit card company into refunding his card about $7,400, money he claimed wasn't spent on private, exotic dances.

A Lehigh County man who spent big bucks at Tattletales Gentleman’s Club in Bath tricked his credit card company into refunding his card about $7,400, according to police. Robert L. Tostevin Jr., 54, of Allentown was arraigned by District Judge John Capobianco and charged with theft of services - acquisition of services -- a third-degree felony. He is free on $5,000 unsecured bail. Colonial Regional Police say Tostevin used his credit card on July 16 and 17 to purchase $7,400 worth of private, exotic dances.  Tostevin later filed a report with his credit card company, stating he made one purchase, which totaled $100. All of the other purchases, Tostevin allegedly said, were fraudulent. The money was refunded to his credit card.  Tattletales…

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Police: Body Shop Employee Hid $18,000 in Work from Boss

Matthew Bernard Yinger, 36, an employee of Ed's Auto in Plainfield Township, is accused of falsifying receipts and collecting more than $18,000.

For more than eight months, a body shop employee at a Plainfield Township auto garage collected more than $18,000 for work he did but kept the money for himself, court records say. In fact, the owner of Ed’s Auto on Route 512 told police he didn’t discover the alleged actions of Matthew Bernard Yinger, 36, until customers told the owner they had body work done at his garage. The customers showed the owner, Eduard Klymenko, handwritten receipts signed by Yinger. The problem for Klymenko was that these receipts did not match his business receipts, the records say. Plainfield Officer Christopher Ryan said in a criminal complaint that he spoke to several customers whose vehicles were worked on by Yinger. The customers said the same thing -- …

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Theft Charges Filed Against Ex-Northampton County Solicitor

The Northampton County District Attorney's Office files theft charges against former county Solicitor Anthony J. Martino.

Former Northampton County Solicitor Anthony J. Martino faces charges after a grand jury concluded that he committed thefts and theft-related offenses while working as an attorney in Bangor. Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli held a press conference Monday morning to announce the grand jury results regarding Martino, who faces charges of theft by unlawful taking or disposition, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received, forgery and misapplication of entrusted property. According to a criminal complaint obtained by Patch.com, Martino -- working for a law firm in Bangor -- was named executor of the estate of John L. Farace, who died March 3, 2008. Farace's …

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Local Woman Accused of Stealing Over $100,000 from Dealership

Anne Difrancesco, 33, of Bushkill Township, is accused of taking $102,924.65 from Star Pontiac-Buick-GMC in Lower Nazareth Township.

A Bushkill Township woman is in Northampton County Prison after she allegedly used 20 company checks to pay her personal bills, according to Colonial Regional Police. Anne Difrancesco, 33, of the 200 block of Daniels Road, is accused of taking $102,924.65 over the course of one year from Star Pontiac-Buick-GMC in Lower Nazareth Township. Difrancesco was charged with forgery, theft by deception and receiving stolen property. She was arraigned before District Judge David Tidd and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $15,000 cash bail.

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Accused Kohl's Thief Admits to Theft by Deception

Georgene Lerch, of Plainfield Township, was facing a retail theft charge for allegedly stealing items for a coffee maker, but then she admitted to something else.

The guilty conscience of a Plainfield Township woman appears to have gotten the best of her. Georgene Lerch, 61, admitted to loss prevention staff at the Kohl's Department Store in Lower Nazareth Township -- after being stopped for alleged retail theft -- that she went to the store two days earlier, took a Keurig coffee maker from a store shelf, and returned the item to customer service for store credit, according to Colonial Regional Police. According to a press release from Colonial Regional: Lerch was stopped by Kohl's loss prevention staff around 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 15 for concealing store merchandise in a shopping bag and not paying for the items. According to police, Lerch was seen selecting three boxes of K-cup coffee and a coffee …

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Police: Ford Escape, Warranty Purchased with Bad Checks

A New Jersey woman allegedly uses a closed bank account to purchase an $8,400 Ford Escape and an $1,800 warranty from Milham Ford Toyota Scion in Lower Nazareth Township, according to police.

A New Jersey woman has been charged with two counts each of writing bad checks and theft by deception after she allegedly used a closed bank account to purchase a 2002 Ford Escape and an extended warranty, according to Colonial Regional Police. Police say Tiffany Magliane, 28, of Branchburg (Somerset County) purchased the Ford Escape for $8,460.81 and an extended warranty for $1,806.24 from Milham Ford Toyota Scion in Lower Nazareth Township on May 5. The checks Magliane used to purchase both the vehicle and warranty, police allege, were connected to a closed bank account. Magliane was arraigned before District Judge James Narlesky and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Police: Kids Attached to Dog Bought With Suspected Stolen Check

Their mother tells police she has accrued more than $500 in vet bills; she is charged with paying $2,000 for the dog with a stolen check.

Kim Summers, 31, of Stroudsburg still has the $2,000 English bulldog puppy she is accused of purchasing with a stolen check "because her kids have gotten attached," according to Det. Gary Hammer of Colonial Regional Police. Summers is free on $5,000 unsecured bail, and has been charged with theft of property, access device fraud, theft by deception, receiving stolen property and forgery. "I spoke to her [and told her that] it would be in her best interest to return the dog because it would mean less restitution," Hammer said in an e-mail to Patch. Hammer added that he believes the dog will be returned to the Yuppy Puppy Pet Shop in Bartonsville in the near future. A manager was not available when Patch called Yuppy Puppy, but an …

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Woman Accused of Using Stolen Check to Purchase Puppy Is Arrested

Kim Summers, 31, of Stroudsburg is free on $5,000 unsecured bail.

Colonial Regional Police say they arrested the woman who allegedly used stolen credit cards to purchase gas and cigarettes, and then a stolen check to purchase a $2,000 English bulldog puppy. Kim Summers, 31, of Stroudsburg was arraigned before District Judge Joseph Barner and charged with theft of property, access device fraud, theft by deception, receiving stolen property and forgery. Summers is free on $5,000 unsecured bail. According to police, a female senior citizen accidentally left her purse in a shopping cart at Wal-Mart in Lower Nazareth Township. When she went back for it, the purse was gone, police say. An unknown female -- later identified as Summers -- allegedly used one of the woman's credit cards to purchase gas and …

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