Former Sullivan County Sheriff’s Deputy Charged With Theft

SCRANTON -The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Mary Handzus, age 63, of Laporte, Pennsylvania, was charged on February 10, 2020, in a criminal information with theft.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the criminal information alleges that between 2012 and 2019, while employed as a Sheriff’s Deputy, Handzus stole $198,566 from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.

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 guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 years of imprisonment, 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.

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