SCRANTON -The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Mary Handzus, age 64, of Laporte, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on October 1, 2020 to 12 months and a day followed by two years on supervised release by United States District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann, for theft from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, between 2012 and 2019, Handzus was employed as the Administrative Deputy by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and stole $198,566 from the Sheriff’s Office account.

Judge Brann also ordered Handzus to pay restitution in the amount of $250,755, for the money she stole and the forensic audit conducted following the discovery of the theft.

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

 

# # #

 

 

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.

# # #