LOWER MERION — A former Lower Merion School Board member must answer to charges in Montgomery County Court that she embezzled more than $50,000 from a previous employer and used the stolen funds to pay for personal expenses including a vacation for family and friends.
Jennifer Rivera, 41, of the 100 block of Leland Road in the Bala Cynwyd section of Lower Merion, waived her preliminary hearing this week, before District Court Judge Karen Eisner Zucker, on felony charges of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and access device fraud in connection with alleged incidents that occurred between 2024 and 2026.
The alleged thefts occurred while Rivera worked for SMB, a law firm marketing agency located in Bala Cynwyd.
Rivera now faces an Oct. 28 formal arraignment hearing on the charges in county court. After that hearing, a county judge will schedule Rivera’s trial date.
Rivera remains free on $25,000 unsecured bail while awaiting her next court hearing. As a condition of bail, Rivera is prohibited from having contact with anyone at SMB.
Rivera, a Democrat, was elected to the school board last November and was in the first year of her four-year term. After her arrest last month, Rivera tendered her resignation as a school board director effective Aug. 25.
The theft charges are not related to Rivera’s position on the school board.
An investigation began in June when officials at SMB reported they became aware that Rivera used her company issued credit card for personal expenses dating back to September 2024, according to a criminal complaint filed by Lower Merion Detective Daniel Gilbert.
Court documents indicate company officials learned Rivera allegedly used $1,339 in company funds to pay for videography and photography services for an October 2025 Bar Mitzvah for one of her friends.
On June 11, 2026, company officials conducted an interview of Rivera regarding the funds and she was told she would be placed on administrative leave pending the results of an audit.
“Rivera became distraught and stated that the accusation put her in a ‘dark spot.’ IT revoked her access to all company accounts, and her company laptop, keys and credit cards were confiscated before she left the building,” Gilbert wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Rivera, according to court documents, contacted company officials a few days later to ask if they could, “just fire her as the waiting is adding stress.”
The company audit determined Rivera also booked travel, including airfare, hotel reservations and vehicle rentals, totaling $25,307, for herself, family and friends, according to the criminal complaint.
Company officials explained it is not uncommon for spouses to accompany an employee for travel, however, the employee must reimburse SMB through payroll deduction. Additional family members, friends and acquaintances are not authorized to travel.
The audit also uncovered that Rivera had booked a future trip to the Bahamas using the company credit card’s points, which carried a monetary value of $9,065, without authorization, according to court papers.
Rivera also used company funds to make unauthorized purchases, totaling $23,596, on Amazon, for personal items, including a dress and bathroom accessories, according to the arrest affidavit.
The total amount of Rivera’s alleged theft “for personal gain” reached $50,243.31, Gilbert alleged in the criminal complaint.
During the investigation, township detectives conducted an extensive review of the company’s financial records and interviewed other SMB employees.