State police: Former Freeport EMS treasurer used service’s credit card for unauthorized expenses

Theft charges that the state police have filed against a former Freeport EMS treasurer will not impact the ambulance service, according to a trustee.

State police charged Justin G. DeAngelis, a former Freeport ambulance service treasurer, Tuesday with the misappropriation of nearly $98,000 over four years. He also is a former Freeport councilman.

DeAngelis, 41, of Jeannette faces felony charges of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and unauthorized device access.

Officials said he made restitution with the EMS, paying nearly $98,000 in September 2020 and resigned from the service. DeAngelis resigned from borough council in December and announced plans to move out of Freeport to be closer to work.

Former Mayor James Swartz Jr., a trustee with the EMS, said Thursday he didn’t think the state police charges against DeAngelis would impact the EMS because the money was paid back.

The amount of money initially reported as misappropriated and paid back by DeAngelis is the same amount reported in an independent audit, which was part of the state police investigation.

“If the figures were different, that would be another matter,” Swartz said.

State police said they investigated after learning about possible embezzlement at the ambulance service in September 2020.

Chris O’Leath, the former EMS executive director, discovered bookkeeping irregularities in 2020 and notified the board. He and the board audited the books and found 62 unauthorized transactions totaling nearly $98,000 from January 2017 to May 2020.

Specifically, O’Leath told state police that he discovered there was another credit card taken out by DeAngelis, who was then EMS treasurer. O’Leath also found EMS money was going toward Chase credit card payments, and only O’Leath and DeAngelis could access those accounts, according to court documents.

O’Leath told police he confronted DeAngelis about the money, and the day before he planned to take the information to the Armstrong County District Attorney’s Office, DeAngelis repaid the money, according to the state police complaint.

The EMS company declined to press charges, but state police proceeded with an investigation that led to this week’s charges.

O’Leath was fired from the EMS in March. He and his attorney had no comment and are involved in a lawsuit against the emergency service.

DeAngelis declined to comment on the charges; an attorney was not listed in court records. He posted a $25,000 bond and faces a preliminary hearing Sept. 21 before District Judge James H. Owen in Kittanning.

Related:

• Embattled Freeport councilman resigns

• State police investigating misappropriation of nearly $100K from Freeport EMS

• Freeport EMS fires whistleblower