Former Erie Humane Society director Nicole Leone on Friday admitted to stealing thousands of dollars from the animal shelter and was sentenced by a judge.
Leone, 42, pleaded guilty to a felony count of theft by deception. A felony count of access device fraud and misdemeanor count of tampering with records were dropped. By entering the plea, she avoided going to trial, which was scheduled for Feb. 2.
Erie County Court of Common Pleas Judge John Mead then sentenced her to seven months house arrest plus 3.5 years probation. She also paid full restitution on Friday using two checks.
Police filed charges against Leone in December 2024, claiming she stole thousands of dollars from the Erie Humane Society during her time as director.
Investigators said she used two Visa credit cards owned by the Erie Humane Society to make 139 unauthorized purchases totaling $23,582.27 from June 22, 2023, through Nov. 12, 2024.
The purchases included personal items such as clothing, sunglasses, household items, hotel stays and other miscellaneous purchases not related to the Humane Society, police said. She is accused of covering up the purchases by making each look like legitimate business transactions, according to investigators.
Many of the purchases were from Amazon and linked to her Erie Humane Society email address, the criminal complaint said. The treasurer told police she was able to match several of the purchases of clothing and sunglasses to Leone’s social media posts where the items were observed, according to court documents.
The investigation started after the treasurer became aware of a purchase from Bert’s Bikes and Fitness for $2,029.48, which was supposed to be for one bicycle for a Humane Society raffle, investigators said. The treasurer went to the business and discovered two bikes were actually purchased – a $799.99 Verve 2 Lowstep, which was used for the fundraiser, and a Liv Avail AR4 valued at $1,346.18, in which Leone was seen in possession of in a social media post.
Leone’s employment with the Erie Humane Society ended Nov. 14, 2024. She had served as executive director since 2015.