Sanatoga man faces jail for $51K theft from Lower Providence law firm
NORRISTOWN » A Lower Pottsgrove man will be spending weekends in jail after he admitted to embezzling more than $51,000 from the Lower Providence law firm where he worked, making unauthorized purchases of tickets to concerts and sporting events.
Mark K. Miehlke, 41, of the 1000 block of Overlook Drive in the Sanatoga section of Lower Pottsgrove, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 15 days to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of theft by unlawful taking and access device fraud in connection with incidents that occurred between November 2013 and August 2016 while he worked in the accounting department of Chartwell Law Offices located along Rittenhouse Road in Lower Providence.
“While he was there they gave him a great amount of trust to run, at least in part, the accounting for their law office. He violated that trust because he had access to company credit cards and instead of buying things for the law firm he was buying things for himself and his enjoyment,” said county Assistant District Attorney Benjamin McKenna.
“These included things like electronics, tickets to concerts, tickets to sporting events, and vacations,” McKenna alleged. “He was at least spending like he was living a life of luxury. He was able to live a lifestyle or provide others with a lifestyle that most people could only dream about and he was doing it by way of theft.”
The purchases included payments for Miehlke’s personal Comcast residential service; laptop computers; costs for a two-day stay at a rental property in the Poconos; and Stub Hub payments for tickets to various concert and sporting events, according to the criminal complaint.
The non-authorized purchases included tickets to Temple of Dogs, Billy Joel, Sting, Zach Brown Band and Pearl Jam concert tickets and tickets for Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and Temple University football games, according to a criminal complaint. One partner’s credit card was fraudulently used by Miehlke to purchase a $154 bottle of Barterhouse Orphan Barrel Kentucky Bourbon, according to the arrest affidavit.
Judge Garrett D. Page said Miehlke can serve the jail sentence over the course of 15 consecutive weekends beginning on Friday.
The judge also ordered Miehlke to complete two years’ probation following parole, meaning Miehlke, who was represented by defense lawyer Jason Donoghue, will be under court supervision for about four years.
Miehlke, who court papers alleged embezzled $51,811 from the law firm while he worked there, paid full restitution before his sentencing hearing.
McKenna sought jail time against Miehlke.
“It is only fair that when you reap the benefits of crime that you also have to pay the price of crime,” McKenna said. “He did end up mitigating the punishment that he could have received by paying the money back.”
An investigation began in September 2016, when the law offices released Miehlke from his employment as an accountant and seized his work computer, according to the criminal complaint filed by Lower Providence Detective Terry Kennedy. During an audit of Miehlke’s work “they uncovered hundreds of fraudulent credit card transactions” completed by Miehlke as well as fraudulent purchases made with firm checks, according to the criminal complaint.