Scranton police have charged a 48-year-old woman with theft and forgery after she allegedly embezzled nearly $100,000 from the city’s firefighter pension fund over a period of five years. According to a criminal complaint, Stacey Ann Bouton, the daughter of a late Scranton firefighter, continued to collect pension payments made out to her mother, Henrietta J. Matticks, long after her mother’s death. Pension board officials discovered the discrepancy and noted that all benefit payments should have legally ceased immediately upon the death of the primary beneficiary.
Investigators allege that Bouton systematically forged signatures and navigated the pension system to keep the funds flowing into her possession starting shortly after her mother passed away. The multi-year scheme resulted in a total loss of approximately $100,000 for the city’s retirement fund, which is already under tight fiscal scrutiny. Bouton now faces multiple felony counts as the city works to recover the stolen assets and tighten oversight procedures to prevent similar fraudulent activity in the future.
Featured Image Photo Credit: WILK