Former Muse fire chief, treasurer waive charges in theft case
Muse’s former fire chief and the department’s treasurer, both of whom are accused of stealing more than $76,000 from the volunteer fire company in Cecil Township, waived their preliminary hearings Thursday.
Former fire chief Alan William Zombeck and his mother, Toni R. Zombeck, who served as treasurer, appeared separately before Senior District Judge Larry Hopkins, but both agreed to waive their charges to court.
Alan Zombeck, 39, and Toni Zombeck, 67, both of Cecil Township, are accused of making various purchases with their department-issued debit cards over several years while serving in their leadership roles.
Cecil Township police and a private financial investigator found numerous ATM withdrawals and “cash back” purchases using Toni Zombeck’s debit card, along with checks made payable to cash, according to court documents. There were also several car loan payments made to a vehicle co-owned by Toni Zombeck, and countless utility payments and store purchases allegedly using fire department funds, investigators said.
Investigators found more than $76,000 was misappropriated from Muse Volunteer Fire Company’s funds from 2013 until late last year when other department officials began suspecting theft, according to court documents.
As investigators began closing in, Toni Zombeck allegedly texted Cecil Township police Chief Shawn Bukovinsky in February asking if investigators could drop the matter if she paid back all of the expenses, according to court documents.
“Is there anyway We can fix this mess before arrest are made or I’m front page news. I know I’m responsible to pay back,” she allegedly texted the police chief.
Toni Zombeck’s defense attorney, Adam Yarussi, said after the preliminary hearing that he has not had an opportunity to review any of the evidence against his client, including documents or bills. Yarussi added he is awaiting more information on how that conversation between his client and the police chief allegedly took place, whether it was written or an oral conversation.
Alan Zombeck allegedly told officers during a police interview that he knew he was in “big trouble” and asked “what amount of money are you up to” in the investigation, according to court documents. His attorney, Sean Logue, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The fire company’s board suspended both of them late last year and then voted to terminate them from the department shortly after an internal investigation. Alan Zombeck was fire chief until December 2019, while Toni Zombeck was the finance officer and treasurer until last November, according to court documents. The board gave the information from its internal investigation to police in December.
The mother and son were charged April 14 with felony charges of theft, access device by an unauthorized user and conspiracy, along with a misdemeanor charge of misappropriating government funds. Toni Zombeck also faces a felony charge of criminal use of a communication facility and one misdemeanor count of evidence tampering.
They are both free on non-monetary bond while they await trial. Their formal arraignments on the charges are scheduled for Sept. 30.