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Chesco Township Administrator Stole $15 at a Time, DA Says

Ronald Rambo, township manager in West Brandywine, stole movie tickets meant for residents and approved his own fraudulent reimbursement requests, according to Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced Thursday his office had filed corruption charges against a West Brandywine Township administrator who allegedly stole municipal funds.

Township Manager Ronald Rambo, 59, is charged with stealing $456.30 in small increments by approving his own fraudulent reimbursement requests. In one example outlined by the district attorney's press release, Rambo repeatedly altered a medical receipt to receive multiple $15 reimbursements.

Rambo, a Coatesville resident, has worked for West Brandywine Township for two decades and has previously been made to pay restitution for similar actions, according the district attorney's statement.  

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He also took home Regal Cinema movie theater tickets without paying for them. The tickets are intended to be sold at a discount to township residents.

Rambo faces 13 misdemeanor charges of forgery and theft. He was released on his own recognizance and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 19 before District Judge Michael Cabry III. 

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The full press release from the Chester County District Attorney's Office is below:

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan announced the arrest of Ronald Rambo. The defendant is the Township Manager of West Brandywine Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The defendant was arrested by the Chester County Detectives for misappropriating township funds. 

District Attorney Hogan stated, “There is no such thing as petty corruption. Any misuse of public funds by a government worker undermines the faith and trust of the public. Any public employee who steals public funds will be arrested and prosecuted.” 

The defendant is 59 years old. He resides at 112 Gable Road, Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The defendant has been the Township Manager for over 20 years. 

The allegations of the criminal complaint are as follows: [Footnote: A criminal defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.]

The defendant is the Township Manager for West Brandywine Township. The Township Manager has broad authority over financial issues for the Township. The Township Manager reviews and approves employee reimbursement requests, even when the employee reimbursement request is submitted by the Township Manager himself. 

The Chester County Detectives received information that the defendant was using his position to steal funds from the Township. The Detectives were advised that the defendant had been confronted with prior instances of misappropriating funds and had agreed to repay the Township, but then continued to misappropriate funds.  

The Detectives were directed to certain financial issues regarding the defendant. The Detectives determined that the defendant was using his position as Township Manager to defraud the Township using several means, including forgery.  

One example demonstrates the clear nature of these thefts. The defendant submitted a medical receipt for reimbursement to the Township. The receipt claimed $15 for a doctor’s visit on “3/25” by “Zack” (the defendant’s son). The defendant, as Township Manager, approved his own reimbursement.  

The defendant then took the same medical receipt, replaced the name “Zack” with the name “Becca” (the defendant’s daughter), and submitted the receipt for another $15. Once again, the defendant approved the payment to himself as Township Manager.  

The defendant then took the same medical receipt for “Zack” and changed the date to “7/12.” He submitted this receipt to the Township, the third time he was claiming payment for one medical visit. As Township Manager, he again approved payment to himself based on this forged document.  

A review of the actual medical records from the doctor’s office confirmed that there was one visit, a visit on March 25, 2010 by Zack Rambo. A review of the receipts submitted by the defendant revealed that the forgeries are fairly obvious, including identical handwritten marks on the documents.  

The other schemes used by the defendant to misappropriate Township funds were similar. To date, the total of misappropriated funds is $456.30. This is an ongoing investigation. The Chester County Detectives will continue to review records and interview witnesses to determine the full extent of the thefts.  

District Attorney Hogan added, “We are relatively fortunate in Chester County. Unlike some places where public corruption is commonplace, Chester County prides itself on maintaining high standards among government employees. We will not stand for corruption in Chester County.”

See also:

Chesco DA Addresses Recent Slayings of Prosecutors

DA: Exton Cigar Shop Sold Synthetic Drugs


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