A suspended Lehigh County Assistance Office employee stole Electronic Benefit Transfer cards and exchanged more than $20,000 in benefits for drugs or cash, or used them to make purchases at stores, according to authorities.
Sheila McDonald, 46, of Pittsburgh, faces charges of theft, theft by deception, access device fraud, conspiracy to commit theft and receiving stolen property. She has been taken into custody, but had not been arraigned on the charges as of Monday morning, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office said in a news release.
McDonald began working at the Lehigh County Assistance Office in January 2024, and was assigned as the office’s EBT Coordinator, where she was responsible for securing EBT cards created and mailed from there, the DA’s office said. EBT cards are used by people who receive SNAP benefits to buy food, and the card includes the recipient’s name and 19-digit card number.
Additionally, a PIN, chosen by the primary individual in the household, is required to use the cards.
In November, the Lehigh County Assistance Office was alerted that an EBT card mailed from the office never reached the recipient, despite four unauthorized transactions being made, the release states. Investigators determined the card had been activated by a PIN entered through a phone, later determined to be McDonald’s, earlier that month.
Authorities said McDonald accessed the card using the date of birth of the recipient, and the last four digits of their Social Security number. Surveillance footage showed McDonald using the card to withdraw $20 in cash, and to make purchases at a grocery store and convenience store, police said.
A man told investigators that McDonald often traded EBT cards to him instead of cash to purchase crack cocaine, and he believed she got those cards from her work, according to the DA’s office. McDonald gave him the card and its PIN, the release states.
Investigators uncovered 48 EBT cards activated by McDonald that she unlawfully used more than 270 times, according to the DA, who said the theft amount was $20,558.61.
The state Department of Human Services immediately suspended McDonald and removed her access to all systems. Additionally, replacement EBT cards were issued for the households that were affected.