South Fayette Youth Football treasurer charged in connection with $60K theft

The treasurer of the South Fayette Township Youth Football Association is charged with stealing over $60,000, officials said.

Jaella Richard, 41, of Bridgeville, had access to the association’s checking account as treasurer — which enabled her to steal $64,742.75 worth of funds, according to a criminal complaint in the case.

She is charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving solen property, misapplication of entrusted property and dealing in the proceeds of illegal activity.

Richards was added to the football association’s bank account in the beginning of 2021 and took over as treasurer starting in 2022, the complaint said.

At the association’s meeting on June 2, Richard had documented the bank balance of $87,000, but the actual account balance had been $68,225.29, according to bank statements.

The South Fayette Youth Football Association President Ryan Kaczur reported concerns about the association’s Key Bank checking account to police on Oct. 28.

Kaczur told police that Richard had provided a spreadsheet in June detailing the association’s finances, and during every meeting since, she had told the board that she was still updating the spreadsheet and would send it to them after. This never happened, according to the complaint.

Kaczur then obtained a copy of the bank statement from Key Bank and noticed an account balance of $745.52 — which should’ve totaled over $60,000, officials said.

Richard used the money for personal expenses including mortgage payments, food, entertainment, credit card payments and utilities, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said in a release Wednesday.

Investigators discovered she had made numerous payments from the association’s PayPal and Venmo accounts to Amazon, Apple and Venmo payments to individuals including her husband.

Of those, a “significant number” were immediately transferred from a Pittsburgh bank account to a Florida credit union account associated with Richard, according to the complaint.

“The transaction was designed in whole or in part to conceal or disguise nature, location, source, ownership or control of the proceeds of unlawful activity and/or to avoid a transaction reporting requirement under state or federal law,” the criminal complaint said.

Kaczur said he called Richard on Oct. 28 to ask about the bank account. She said she has a home equity line of credit with Key Bank and paid it with the association’s account, the criminal complaint said.

Richard said she would go to Key Bank on Oct. 29 to pay the money back. That’s when Kaczur noticed the account’s name was different.

On or around Oct. 17, Richard changed the name of the South Fayette Youth Football Association’s PayPal account to her name.