The state attorney general charged a former Scranton police detective with misdemeanor theft Wednesday for fraudulently submitted paperwork claiming he worked extra shifts at low-income city housing complexes.
David Mitchell, 47, of 2175 Birney Ave., Scranton, was placed him on administrative leave on May 17, 2022, by Scranton Police Chief Thomas Carroll, according to the criminal complaint. He subsequently left the department as of June 27.
Mitchell applied for, and was granted, a length-of-service pension, which is deferred until he reaches the age of 55, said city spokesman Chris Hughes.
An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that between January and May of 2022, Mitchell, a detective sergeant, asserted he worked seven separate overtime shifts for the Scranton Housing Authority, but did not leave his home.
Patrol logs were required to be filed by officers for each of these shifts. Mitchell submitted false patrol logs for six of these shifts indicating he was physically patrolling the area when he was not, authorities charged.
Mitchel was one of three former city police officers who frequently submitted claims for working off-duty shift at city housing units, according to a criminal complaint.
According to the complaint, beginning in 2021, the FBI began investigating Mitchell, as well as Sgt. Jeff Vaughn and Patrolman Paul Helring, for fraud related to unworked overtime funded through a federal program.
Through an agreement between the Scranton Police Department and the Scranton Housing Authority, the police department agreed to provide multiple shifts per week to patrol the housing units of Valley View Terrace and Hilltop Manor, with the Housing Authority reimbursing the city for officers’ pay with federal funds.
Vaughn and Helring were charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, pled guilty to defrauding the federally funded program and were both sentenced to six months in prison.
Questioning overtime
On May 17, 2022, FBI investigators questioned Mitchell regarding his overtime at the housing complexes.
He admitted to signing up to patrol the housing complexes, but not always actively patrolling there. He told investigators he remained at home and waited for a call to come over the radio necessitating his response to an incident.
Mitchell said he was never told he had to report to the housing complexes in person and actively patrol, notwithstanding this was the intent of the grant-paid duty.
Mitchell said there were times when he patrolled the complexes with another officer.
Investigators believe Mitchell “knew and understood what was expected of a Scranton Police Officer on patrol and chose not to perform his duties as required in-full or in-part 20 times in just a 4 month period in 2022,” according to the complaint.
Investigators also pointed out Mitchell submitted false patrol logs to the Scranton Housing Authority through the Scranton Police Department.
“A police officer providing false reports stating he is present and patrolling an area when he is not presents multiple downstream effects which could impair investigations, frustrate policy efforts and overall contribute to a more dangerous environment for residents,” the complaint concludes.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Dec. 9 before District Judge Alyce Farrell.