Former Charleroi teachers union treasurer pleads guilty, sentenced
A Fallowfield Township woman pleaded guilty Thursday in Washington County Court to stealing more than $65,000 from the Charleroi Area teachers union while she served as its treasurer.
Rae Dawn Grillo, 55, was then sentenced by Judge John F. DiSalle to five years in the intermediate punishment program, with the first nine months to be served on electronic monitoring.
Charges against Grillo were filed earlier this year, but the money was discovered missing after the Pennsylvania State Education Association learned its Charleroi members owed the association $7,262 in union dues in June 2012, court records show.
Grillo was charged with theft by unlawful taking and two counts of theft by deception. As a part of a plea agreement, Grillo pleaded guilty only to theft by unlawful taking.
Grillo, who worked for the district as a speech therapist, agreed to return $57,788 to the union, police stated in the affidavit supporting the case. The federal investigation accused her of stealing an additional $8,175, a sum that was not returned to the union, authorities said.
In addition to the sentence, Grillo was ordered to participate in a public or nonprofit community service program for 200 hours. She also was banned from going to a casino or holding a position of trust, Assistant District Attorney John Friedmann said.
Grillo’s attorney, Jason Walsh, did not return calls for comment.
Investigators did not determine how Grillo used the money after it was withdrawn from the union’s bank account containing emergency strike money between 2007 and 2012.
The federal Labor Department assisted in the investigation.