Greene Co. woman waives theft charge
A Greene County woman accused of stealing more than $90,000 from an insurance company she was working for over a six-year period will stand trial.
State police Trooper Craig M. Soltis said Gisele L. Tennant, 54, of Titus Street, Bobtown, was charged before Magisterial District Judge Joseph M. George Jr. with the single count of theft by deception following an investigation into her business practices that was initiated by police in November.
Tennant waived the count to Fayette County Court during a preliminary hearing Wednesday afternoon before George.
According to Soltis, Tennant was employed as the office manager of the South Union Township branch of the company, The Insurance People.
While working in her capacity as office manager, Soltis said Tennant began writing checks payable to herself in 2006 without the consent of her superiors.
He said Tennant continued writing checks to herself over the six-year period, and that as the primary record keeper for the office, she was able to conceal the fraudulent payments until she took a medical leave of absence in 2011.
While she was off, Soltis said employees from another branch were temporarily transferred to the South Union branch and discovered accounting discrepancies.
According to Soltis, Tennant stole $92,118 from business accounts beginning Jan. 1, 2006, and concluding on May 31, 2011.
Tennant wrote a total of 56 checks from two separate business accounts to herself ranging in amounts from $29 to $3,900.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Soltis, Tennant stole an average of about $16,000 each year, with nearly $22,000 funneled from business coffers in 2009.
When questioned by police, Tennant said that the payments were authorized by her superiors at the company and said that the money was used to pay medical and utility bills.