Former Washington Co. attorney indicted
An attorney who used to work in Washington County was indicted by a grand jury this week on allegations that he embezzled more than $1.3 million from a Pittsburgh nonprofit.
Christopher Furman, 53, of Pittsburgh, faces charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Furman was named the president of the Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Heights Incline, which has operated the Duquesne Heights Incline since 1964.
The indictment accuses Furman of funneling $1,379,300 from the group’s bank accounts into his own between October 2024 and September 2025.
Furman currently works for the Pittsburgh law firm Gabriel Fera. According to Furman’s LinkedIn profile, he previously worked for Makel & Associates in Washington County from 2011 to 2021.
The indictment states that Furman had the board move the society’s bank accounts to Citizens Bank, where he had an account.
According to court records, Furman would transfer money from the society’s accounts into his, and then transfer the funds into a Coinbase account. Coinbase is a platform for buying and selling cryptocurrency.
The DOJ accuses Furman of using the society’s money to purchase cryptocurrency, and then selling the cryptocurrency for personal profit.
Furman was scheduled to appear in federal court Thursday afternoon.