Two former county employees convicted; controller says pensions will be forfeited under state law

The Montgomery County Controller's office notified the retirement board that two former county employees, Patricia Althusser and Lisa Shoal, were convicted of felony theft by unlawful taking and will forfeit their pension benefits under the PA Public Employees Pension Forfeiture Act (January 1978). A controller’s-office representative told the board, “They will forfeit their pension benefits,” and said restitution amounts had already been paid and that required disposition of the forfeiture would be processed in February.

According to the controller’s-office notice, the law permits returning an employee’s own pension contributions without interest and allows restitution to be taken from those amounts. The representative told the board there was no board vote required to effect the forfeiture at this time.

Board members did not take a vote on the matter at the meeting. The controller’s office said it would notify the retirement board when the formal forfeiture disposition is completed.

What’s next: staff will accept the controller’s notification and monitor the formal forfeiture processing scheduled for February; no further action was recorded at this meeting.