SCRANTON – In a shocking turn of events, a federal grand jury has indicted York County Judge Steven Stambaugh, age 61, of York, Pennsylvania, on 31 counts of wire and mail fraud, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Stambaugh with twenty-six counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, two counts of tampering with a witness, and one count of obstruction of justice.
It is alleged that from March 19, 2020, to on or about May 18, 2020, Stambaugh devised a scheme to defraud the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to obtain money through materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
The indictment charges that Stambaugh instructed his employees to file and collect unemployment compensation benefits with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania during the COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time directing and requiring his employees to continue working for Stambaugh Law, P.C.
In furtherance of the scheme to defraud, it is alleged that Stambaugh caused the use of interstate wire communications, as well as the delivery of mail matter via interstate mail deliveries.
The indictment further alleges that beginning in April 2021 through November 2022, Stambaugh attempted to intimidate and corruptly persuade a government witness to offer false testimony before a federal grand jury and to lie to federal law enforcement officers, and also attempted to obstruct justice while serving as a judicial officer for the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for York County.
Stambaugh’s scheme to defraud the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has serious consequences, with the maximum penalty under federal law for mail/wire fraud and witness tampering being 20 years of imprisonment, and the maximum penalty for obstruction of justice being 10 years of imprisonment.
A term of supervised release follows any term of imprisonment and a fine. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Olshefski and Sean Camoni.
The charges stem from a joint investigation involving the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Harrisburg.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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