DA: Lehigh County Assistance Office supervisor traded stolen EBT cards for crack cocaine, stole $20,000 worth of funds | Lehigh Valley Regional News

LEHIGH COUNTY, Pa. – A Lehigh County Assistance Office supervisor traded stolen EBT cards to buy crack cocaine, according to authorities.

Sheila McDonald, 46, allegedly exchanged more than $20,000 of benefits for drugs and cash or used them for purchases at area stores, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

The DA’s office said McDonald is charged with felony counts of Theft by Unlawful Taking, Theft by Deception, Access Device Fraud, Criminal Conspiracy to Commit Theft by Unlawful Taking or Disposition, Criminal Conspiracy to Commit Theft by Deception, and Receiving Stolen Property.

Authorities took her into custody but have not yet arraigned her on the charges, the DA’s office said.

The DA’s office said Pennsylvania Department of Human Services suspended McDonald and removed her access to all systems and issued replacement EBT cards for affected households.

The Lehigh County Assistance Office is part of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

The DA’s office said McDonald began working at the Lehigh County Assistance Office in January 2024 and was assigned as the office’s “EBT Coordinator.”

She was responsible for securing EBT cards created and mailed from the office. In that role, she had access to SNAP recipients’ personal information, including dates of birth and Social Security numbers, the DA’s office said.

The Lehigh County Assistance Office alerted the Office of State Inspector General in November 2025 that an EBT card mailed from the office never reached the recipient despite four unauthorized transactions having been made, according to the news release.

McDonald used the intended recipient’s date of birth and last four digits of their Social Security number to activate an EBT card account and make four unauthorized transactions, according to the DA’s office.

The DA’s office said surveillance videos showed McDonald using the EBT card to withdraw $20 in cash and to make purchases at a convenience store and grocery store.

Authorities found that the undelivered EBT card had been activated through a cell phone number McDonald used, according to the news release.

McDonald used the same cell phone number to activate or check the balance on different EBT cards, the DA’s office said.

Investigators interviewed a man who said McDonald often traded EBT cards to him instead of cash to purchase crack cocaine, according to the DA’s office.

The man said he believed McDonald got those cards from where she worked, the DA’s office said. He said when McDonald gave him an EBT card, she also provided him with the PIN to use the card, according to the news release.

After an investigation, authorities said McDonald activated 48 EBT cards and unlawfully used them more than 270 times.

In all, McDonald stole 20,558.61 worth of funds, according to the DA’s office.

In Pennsylvania, individuals and families in need may apply to receive assistance through various public benefit programs.

Those include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a program that provides funds to purchase groceries, the DA’s office said. Those who receive SNAP assistance receive those funds through an EBT card to make food purchases.

That card includes the recipient’s name and 19-digit card number and is only intended for the recipient’s use, the DA’s office said.

A Personal Identification Number (PIN) is required to access those benefits on the EBT card. That PIN is chosen by the primary individual in the household, the DA’s office said.