Feb 1, 2011 By The 4 min read

The wife of Uniontown fire Chief Myron Nypaver turned herself in Monday to be arraigned on multiple charges after the couple allegedly stole thousands of dollars from the city.

Lisa A. Nypaver, 41, of 76 Bryer Ave., Uniontown, was charged with felony counts of theft by deception, access device fraud and insurance fraud on Friday for filing more than $20,000 in fraudulent unemployment claims from Uniontown beginning in March and continuing through October.

In a second case, Lisa Nypaver faces forgery, theft by unlawful taking and access device fraud charges for allegedly stealing almost $6,000 from a company she was working for during the same time period.

Lisa Nypaver was arraigned on charges stemming from both cases Monday before Magisterial District Judge Michael M. Metros and released after posting $2,500 in bail.

In a criminal complaint filed by Perryopolis police Officer Steven G. Kontaxes, Kontaxes said he began investigating the alleged fraudulent activity in November after being assigned to the incident by Fayette County District Attorney Jack R. Heneks Jr. through the Fayette County Drug Task Force.

Myron Nypaver, who was one of seven firefighters furloughed in December 2009, returned to work in March, Kontaxes said, adding that records indicated Myron Nypaver was paid weekly wages averaging about $1,086 after returning to work and while he was still claiming unemployment benefits.

Kontaxes said he went to the Nypavers’ home and interviewed Lisa Nypaver regarding the fraudulent activity and that she acknowledged the false unemployment claims and told investigators that she had filed them on her computer.

Kontaxes further stated in the affidavits of probable cause filed against the Nypavers that Myron Nypaver was issued a state debit card for receiving and withdrawing unemployment benefits.

The card, according to Kontaxes, was used regularly to withdraw unemployment funds after Myron Nypaver’s return to work and multiple surveillance photos taken at banking machines during the months after Myron Nypaver returned to work in March showed Lisa Nypaver using the debit card to make withdrawals.

Myron Nypaver was arraigned on the charges before Metros on Friday and released on a $25,000 unsecured bond.

In the second case involving Lisa Nypaver, Kontaxes said that she, while working for ALICO Services Ltd. of Uniontown, stole nearly $6,000 from the company by forging checks to herself during her two months of employment.

ALICO is a company that performs peer review of workers compensation insurance claims for the state.

When confronted with the alleged forgeries, Kontaxes said Lisa Nypaver apologized to the owner and said she had a problem and needed help.

Kontaxes said that also during her two months of employment at ALICO, Lisa Nypaver fraudulently used a company credit card to purchase an iPod and pay a Verizon phone bill of nearly $900.

This is not Lisa Nypaver’s first run-in with the law.

In 2002, she paid nearly $25,000 in restitution and was sentenced to house arrest for taking and forging checks from her former employer.

Between 1999 and 2001, she worked as a billing clerk in a medical office, and forged the doctor’s name to personal, insurance and Medicare checks, pocketing the money.

Prosecutors agreed to the house arrest sentence because she repaid the stolen money, and would have asked for a jail sentence were she unable to do so.

Again in 2006, she faced forgery charges after she allegedly altered a check to the Uniontown Fire Department.

She allegedly got a check for $10 for two tickets to the department’s annual multiple sclerosis toy bash, and altered it to read $110. The check had been made payable to her husband.

Those charges were ultimately withdrawn at the magisterial district judge level.

Lisa Nypaver’s preliminary hearing on all charges is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 8 before Metros.