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Cecil seeks restitution in case of Pushak

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Cecil Township officials voted Monday morning to seek restitution for all costs incurred during the township’s investigation of former police chief John Pushak, who is accused of stealing more than $10,000 from the department’s drug forfeiture funds to gamble.

After adjourning an executive session that lasted more than an hour, the board of supervisors convened a special meeting and voted unanimously to seek restitution of about $36,500, which includes the cost of legal fees and an audit conducted by Cypher & Cypher during the Pushak investigation. Pushak is expected to enter a plea April 24 before Judge Gary Gilman in Washington County Court.

“The township incurred a lot of expenses during the investigation between our special counsel and our special audit,” board Chairman Tom Casciola said after the meeting. “Those are the kinds of things that the township has to be made whole on.”

“Our ultimate request would be that we receive that total amount,” Vice Chairwoman Cindy Fisher said of the $36,500.

There was no discussion on the matter during the meeting. Solicitor Christopher Voltz said District Attorney Gene Vittone will take their requests for restitution into consideration.

“In any criminal case, a victim of the crime has the ability to get restitution,” Vittone said. “(Cecil is) entitlsed to restitution at least for the cost of the investigation and the audit that was done.”

Vittone said he doesn’t believe the township can be compensated for attorney fees, but he said he will continue to discuss the matter with township officials.

Pushak, 65, of Cecil, was charged last year with misapplying government funds between January 2010 and January 2013 to gamble at The Meadows Casino in North Strabane Township and Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. He waived his theft charges to court last May.

Pushak, whose career spanned 38 years in the Cecil police department, resigned in February 2013 after the allegations surfaced in a special audit of a federal property account created in 2009 with money from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. He has since returned all of the money to the federal account.

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