Treasurer Charged In $28K Theft From Bensalem Education Association

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —The treasurer of the Bensalem Education Support Professional Association has been charged with stealing $28,800 from the organization and using it on a spending spree at more than 60 businesses, police said.

Melissa Montney was charged with access device fraud, theft by unlawful taking, and receiving stolen property after turning herself into the Bensalem Township Police Department on Monday.

Bensalem Police said they were contacted on March 25 by the president of the Bensalem Education Support Professional Association, who reported a theft of about $25,000 from association funds.

The association discovered the missing funds after several checks were returned and stamped as “account closed,” police said.

The BESPA president went to the bank to review the account and found numerous unauthorized withdrawals. She also found that the account had been closed since June 15, 2022, with a negative balance of $842.

Someone had opened four other accounts in the association's name at various banks in the area and they all had negative balances, police said.

When Montney was asked about the accounts and discrepancies, she immediately resigned from her position, police said.

Montney provided a box of bank records that showed "extremely poor record keeping with no accounting of deposits or expenses along with undeposited dues checks," police said in a statement.

A Bensalem detective's investigation revealed that Montney had embezzled $28,802.18 from the BESPA between November 2018 and June 2022.

Monies from the accounts were used by Montney to make ATM withdrawals, Atlantic City withdrawals, VENMO payments to herself, and purchases from Amazon, Friendly’s, Old Navy, QVC, Starbucks, Target, Acme, Wawa, Door Dash, Best Buy, and at least 58 other businesses.

Montney was arraigned by District Justice Joseph Falcone and was released after family members posted 10 percent of a $25,000 bail.

Bensalem Police would like to thank the Bensalem Education Support Professional Association and the Bensalem Township School District for their full cooperation during this investigation.