A former secretary and bookkeeper at Holy Sepulcher School in Butler has been formally arraigned today on theft of funds charges. Officials at the Diocese of Pittsburgh said forensic audits found that as much as $250,000 was taken from the school by Lynn Tomlinson over a six-year period.
“With the assistance of diocesan auditors, we undertook a thorough financial investigation. Major diversions of school tuition, receipts and scrip purchases were revealed,” wrote Father Gizler, pastor of Holy Sepulcher, in a letter sent Thursday to parishioners and school parents.
Online court records show the 43-year-old from Valencia, faces a preliminary hearing March 27 on charges of theft and records tampering.
Tomlinson allegedly told investigators she got "carried away" spending tuition money on clothes and jewels.
According to church officials, Tomlinson admitted to embezzling the funds back in May of 2012. The church then shared what it had learned with police. Tomlinson appears to have worked alone according to Gizler’s letter.
