Indiana County’s District Attorney issued a statement after a woman who embezzled over $50,000 from the United Band Boosters bank account was sentenced in Indiana County Court yesterday.
56-year-old Lara Brown was ordered to serve between six months to a day less than two years in Indiana County Jail and three years of probation on her release for charges of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, theft by deception and theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, all third-degree felonies. Brown was the treasurer of the booster organization when she started taking money from the group in 2019. It was discovered in December of 2022 that she had been making ATM withdrawals and writing large checks out to herself. She used the money that had been raised for a trip to Walt Disney World for personal purchases and for gambling. The band did get an opportunity to go to Disney World after the Penns Manor Marching Band invited them to go on the trip with them.
During the sentencing hearing, several students and families involved in the band boosters provided victim impact statements, saying they lost trust, and experienced stress, anxiety and depression over the matter, and some said they lost the opportunity at the Disney World trip because of Brown’s actions.
Manzi said in his statement that instead of enjoying the time at Disney that the boosters had worked hard for, the students, families and staff of United School District experienced “treachery and the selfish action of Brown.” He also applauded the efforts of the state police who investigated the case, along with the Band Boosters and the district’s staff for standing up for the students.
Comments