Former Kennett Twp Manager Gets 3-10 Years For $3.2 Million Theft

KENNETT TOWNSHIP, PA — A former Kennett Township manager who pilfered money for luxury shopping and fudged financial records to hide her thefts was sentenced this week to prison.

Lisa Moore, 48, of Dewey Beach, Delaware, will serve 3-10 years in prison for stealing more than $3 million from Kennett Township between 2013 and 2019 in her role as Township Manager after Judge David Bortner handed down the sentence.

Moore was hired by the township in 1997 and became Township Manager in 2010, overseeing the township’s financial operations, including payroll and vendor payments. She used the money for her personal benefit, including buying luxury items and travel, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Moore's sentence is based on conviction of charges of theft by deception, dealing in unlawful proceeds, forgery, tampering with public records, and related offenses. She was ordered to pay $3,249,453 in restitution, and she will not be permitted to hold a position of fiduciary responsibility with any government or non-profit organization.

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said, “Lisa Moore’s systemic and calculated scheme was an egregious violation of the trust of the 8,000 citizens of Kennett Township. No one is above the law, especially public servants. Her greed was a despicable betrayal – stealing millions of dollars from the pockets of her neighbors, co-workers, friends, and fellow community members – all to indulge in an absurdly extravagant lifestyle. Although the erosion of trust in local government can never be fully restored, we believe that this resolution serves the interests of justice.”

In April 2019, a Kennett Township supervisor reported to Kennett Township Police that funds were being moved between township bank accounts and a personal Capital One bank account. The Capital One Fraud Department had notified the township of more than $750,000 in transfers between 2016 and 2019 in the form of mobile deposits and ACH deposits. Moore had authorized all the deposits in her role as Township Manager, the DA's report said.

Chester County Det. Robert Balchunis, who led the investigation, learned that Moore had disbursed money to herself through payroll and retirement fund transfers, through checks written to herself from the township, through credit card payments, and township credit card charges.

Balchunis also learned that Moore used some of the funds to pay $1.8 million to credit cards, $115,625 to Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, and $97,503 to Quicken Mortgage. Disbursements were either omitted from or disguised in the Kennett Township accounting records.

Balchunis discovered the defendant made more than $696,000 in charges to the township’s credit card for purchases at high-end retail outlets, women’s boutique outlets, jewelry outlets, travel, food, and gas, among other things.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Michelle Frei and Deputy District Attorney William Judge were the assigned prosecutors.

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