A Spring Township woman was charged on Wednesday with stealing more than $1 million from her employer over the course of five years.
Carri A. Roan, 46, admitted to the thefts from Nittany Learning Services, saying that she had fallen into deep debt following a breast cancer diagnosis, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Spring Township police. Nittany Learning Services is a Pleasant Gap business that provides specialized education services to high schools in multiple counties.
The company’s owners contacted police in September after discovering major accounting shortfalls and missing money. Accounting records had also been falsified, according to the affidavit.
Roan, the owners told police, was the only person responsible for the company’s financials and when confronted provided “no real answers.”
One of the owners subsequently received a text message from Roan admitting that she had signed checks made out to the company over to herself, explaining her financial problems and apologizing for letting them and her family down, according to the affidavit.
In an interview with a detective, Roan allegedly explained that when a check came in from a school district, she would endorse it over to herself and deposit it in her personal account through an ATM.
“I’m sorry I did this,” she told the detective. “They didn’t deserve that.”
A review of bank records and ATM security footage showed the first theft occurred in September 2020, police wrote. Over the ensuing years, Roan deposited in her personal account 60 checks from various school districts made out to the company, 27 Nittany Learning Service checks made out directly to her with things such as “supplies” written in the memo line and four from insurance providers, according to the affidavit.
The stolen checks totaled $1,034,776.73. Another check for $99,000 was deposited but flagged before it was credited to her account, police wrote.
Police confirmed that Nittany Learning Services had met its contractual obligations and no student services were affected by the theft.
She also admitted to taking money using the company’s credit card but could not recall the amounts, according to the affidavit.
Roan is charged with felony counts of theft, receiving stolen property, forgery and criminal use of a communication facility.
She was arraigned on Thursday morning by District Judge Gregory Koehle, who set unsecured bail at $100,000.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 10.
