Former President of Wyoming Area Education Association Charged with Embezzlement

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced the filing of an information in U.S. District Court in Scranton today charging Lisa Barrett, age 48, of Shavertown, Luzerne County, with embezzlement of funds of a labor organization.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Barrett, the former president of the Wyoming Area Education Association (WAEA), has been charged with converting in excess of $30,000 of the labor organization’s funds to her own use from 2006 to 2012. Barrett resigned as WAEA president in March 2013.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office also filed a plea agreement that must be approved by the District Court.

Indictments and criminal informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

In this case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is imprisonment for five years, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public, and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational, and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.