How missing Little Debbie snacks uncovered a $17,000 fraud case in Western Pennsylvania
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. —
A report of missing Little Debbie snacks from a supplier led to the Washington Police Department filing charges.
Police in Washington County have filed multiple charges against James Powell of West Virginia.
Authorities say they launched their investigation after Stewart Snacks, an independent distributor of Little Debbie snack products, contacted a department in Ohio.
Those missing products were believed to be connected with deliveries made throughout Washington County.
The police department in Ohio then referred the case to the Washington County Police Department.
Powell allegedly created fake delivery invoices, claiming deliveries had been made to several Washington County retail stores including Shop N’ Save, Giant Eagle, and Walmart.
Police say those deliveries never happened.
According to a release, the invoices contained signatures from employees of those locations that were forged.
Those forgeries allowed the invoices to then be processed through the manufacturer’s billing system.
Police say Powell received commission payments for deliveries that never occurred while Stewart Snacks, LLC reimbursed the retailers affected.
Prosecutors are seeking a total of $17,167.97 in restitution.
The charges against Powell include three counts of forgery, two counts of theft by deception, two counts of theft by unlawful taking and one count of deceptive or fraudulent business practices.
Powell is being jailed in West Virginia but is facing extradition back to Washington County.