An Allentown couple reached a plea deal with prosecutors on Friday on charges they stole nearly $1.5 million from the wife’s former job and spent it on a lavish lifestyle.
Pamela and Gary Kern, of the 2500 block of South Sixth Street, each pleaded guilty to charges of receiving stolen property, theft by deception, theft by failing to make a required disposition of funds, theft by unlawful taking and conspiracy — all felonies.
The pair are scheduled to be sentenced March 20. They each remain free on 10 percent of $50,000 bail.
Thieving couple’s ‘lavish’ lifestyle cost business $1.4M, DA says
Pamela Kern, 44, previously worked as the lone bookkeeper at Ott Consulting, a civil engineering and landscape architectural firm in Emmaus. She had exclusive control over processing invoices and expense payments.
Investigators say Pamela Kern made direct online payments from the firm’s account to four personal credit card accounts, to cover things like cars, boats, paintings, books and multiple vacations, the district attorney said.
From 2006 to 2016, she stole $1,436,037 from the business, prosecutors previously said.
The thefts were discovered by an outside accounting firm, and Pamela Kern was suspended from her job in February 2016. The couple were charged last July.
Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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