INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. — A woman accused of stealing more than $50K from a local band booster club has been sentenced to jail.
Lara Brown. 56. was the former treasurer of the United Band Boosters Organization while her daughter was in the band. She took the position in 2019 when police said she started stealing increasingly larger amounts from the organization through 2022. Over $50,000 was stolen from the organization during that time.
Charges were filed against her on March 14, 2023, after an investigation conducted by Pennsylvania State Police. She pleaded guilty to those charges in September.
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On Friday morning, she was sentenced to no less than six months and no more than two years in the Indiana County Jail. She will also have to pay restitution to the United Band Boosters, provide a DNA sample to the Commonwealth and complete a mental health evaluation. She will be on probation for three consecutive years after her time in jail.
“I want to applaud the efforts of the Pennsylvania State Police, Troop A, Indiana Barracks, the members of the United Band Boosters, and the staff at the United School District for their many hours of hard work put into this investigation to bring Mrs. Brown to justice. During a time of great stress, the members of the Boosters organization and the school were determined to find the truth and stand up for these great students,” said District Attorney Robert Manzi.
Students and families involved in the United Boosters Organization came to the sentencing hearing.
“The United Band Boosters and their community work very hard to raise funds to help the students have experiences, such as the Disney Trip, that they will remember for a lifetime. Instead of enjoying cherished time with their family in Disney, these students, their families, and the staff at United experienced treachery and the selfish action of Brown,” said Manzi. “Unfortunately, the United Band Boosters and the students learned that there are just people in this world that do not care who they affect with their actions and only care about themselves.”
During their victim statements, many of the members and former members said they experienced a loss of trust, anxiety, stress, and depression.
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