Local veterans advocate charged with skimming funds
A local veterans advocate who has actively sought donations from area residents for years to support troops serving around the globe is now facing charges he allegedly stole more than $60,000 from American Legion Post 51.
Uniontown police Detective Donald M. Gmitter said Joe T. Joseph, 73, of 322 Dixon Blvd., South Union Township, was charged Thursday before Magisterial District Judge Michael M. Metros with felony counts of theft by unlawful taking or disposition, theft by deception and theft by failure to make required disposition.
Gmitter said he investigated the case against Joseph for several years after he was informed in the summer of 2009 that a “substantial amount of money” was missing from American Legion bank accounts in Uniontown, where the post was located before moving into a new home in South Union.
Gmitter said that it appeared that Joseph failed to deposit all of the Legion’s funds into the appropriate bank accounts and “instead took unlawful possession and control of a significant portion” of the money.
“I have no comment except that I am in complete shock and that I am innocent,” Joseph said from his home Friday. “Any other questions I would defer to my attorney.”
Gmitter said Joseph was acting financial officer at the Legion between 2006 and 2008 and it was his duty to oversee the Legion’s accounts and make the required deposits to those accounts.
Prior to each deposit, Gmitter said it was Joseph’s duty to provide Michael Gaydos, a financial officer with the Legion, with lists and amounts of money being deposited into each account, which Joseph and Gaydos referred to as a “daily report.”
Gaydos became aware that a large amount of money was missing from the accounts and the Legion retained accounting firm Kisiel & Rudnik to audit the organization’s accounts.
Gmitter said that the audit revealed that Joseph stole more than $62,000 from Legion accounts from 2006-2008.
Joseph, who is represented by attorney Samuel J. Davis, was released on unsecured bond following his arraignment.
Joseph was forced to resign from the Legion when his membership qualifications were questioned in March 2008. While Joseph was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, he did not serve in the military during the specific time frames required for admittance as an American Legion member.
Joseph spearheaded efforts to have a World War II memorial constructed at the Fayette County Courthouse, which was completed in 2006.
After his expulsion from the Legion, Joseph created War and Veterans Inc. of Fayette County, which collects money and donations to support U.S. troops serving overseas. Joseph is the organization’s president.
A preliminary hearing for Joseph will be held at a later date before Metros.