HUGHESTOWN — A payroll specialist with a graphics company was arraigned Wednesday on allegations she cashed fraudulent payroll checks into her account totaling more than $200,000, according to court records.
Diana Lynn Hontz, 44, of Bowman Street, Wilkes-Barre, was charged by Hughestown police with 281 counts each of theft, criminal use of a communication facility, and consolidation of theft, and nine counts of theft. Hontz was arraigned by District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz of Pittston and released on $100,000 unsecured bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police received a complaint from Kappa Graphics, Rock Street, in January 2024, regarding deposits of fraudulent checks from the company. The initial report indicated the theft amount was believed to be more than $50,000.
In the complaint, police allege that Hontz, as the company’s payroll specialist, created checks in the payroll system using the names of former employees, which she deposited into a bank account she opened in 2019.
When a bank representative inquired with Hontz about checks deposited into her personal account in other people’s names, Hontz denied any wrongdoing and begged the bank not to freeze the account, the complaint says.
The complaint says police obtained a search warrant for Hontz’s bank records for a forensic audit, which revealed Hontz created and signed 281 checks and deposited 280 checks from the graphics company totaling $205,200.08.