Man accused of defrauding Uniontown church
State police Thursday arraigned Frederick Monsour George, 48, of 21 Williams St., Uniontown, on forgery and related charges for allegedly defrauding the St. George Maronite Church in Uniontown. George, a former maintenance worker at the church, was arraigned at District Justice Rick Vernon’s South Union Township office on one count of forgery, one count of theft by deception and two counts of access device fraud and at District Justice Mark Blair’s Uniontown office for one count of forgery and one count of theft by deception.
Vernon sent George to the Fayette County Prison in lieu of $20,000 percentage bail on the access device fraud charges and $20,000 percentage bail on the forgery and theft by deception charges. Blair added another $10,000 percentage bail for the forgery and theft by deception charges filed in his office.
Police said George, while working as a maintenance man at the church, altered and cashed a check written for him by the Rev. Joseph Richard David.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Vernon’s office, George allegedly cashed a check for $1,750.75 at the Second National Bank (Parkvale Bank) at Cherry Tree Square that was originally written for $75.
Police said the money was to be used to purchase a valve for a stove in the church social hall. Police said George denied altering the check, claiming Rev. David wrote the check out for $1,750.75.
Additionally, police said George was given the church’s Lowe’s credit card to purchase items needed for church repairs and allegedly used the credit card Nov. 23 and 27 to make $627.34 in purchases for himself at Lowe’s. Police said Rev. David didn’t know about the purchases until he received the credit card bill.
The charges filed in Blair’s office pertain to a $170 check written by Rev. David on Nov. 7 to be used to purchase wire and light bulbs for the church.
Police said George allegedly changed the amount of the check from $170 to $1,170 and cashed it at Smithfield Bank.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled before Blair at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 18. George faces a preliminary hearing before Vernon at 9 a.m. Feb. 20.