'Visit Philly' CFO Charged With Embezzling $200K: DA

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Chief Financial Officer of "Visit Philadelphia," the city's official tourist website, has been booked on charges of embezzling $200,000 from her own organization, according to the District Attorney's Office.

“Visit Philadelphia let Joyce Levitt watch the ledger books and $200,000 of the agency’s money charged out the door,” said Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams. “Thank you to the men and women of my Economic and Cyber Crime Unit and the Investigating Grand Jury who, like me, are disgusted by Joyce Levitt’s embezzlement of money that was meant to benefit the people and City of Philadelphia and not her lifestyle.”

Visit Philly, founded in 1996 in a joint effort between the city, state, and Pew Charitable Trusts, promotes tourism and travel to Philadelphia and the surrounding area.

Levitt's alleged embezzlement of funds entrusted to her care occurred from September 2005 to February 2012, the DA said.

A grand jury has been investigating Levitt since allegations first arose in 2014.

Audits and the ensuing investigation revealed that Levitt charged personal expenses to her corporate credit card and used corporate checks to pay her personal bills, according to the DA.

Some of these charges included more than $19,000 spent on meals at "high-end local restaurants," and more than $18,000 spent at BJ’s and Costco, and thousands more spent at a skin care facility and a fur seller.

A large portion of Visit Philly's revenue comes from the city's hotel tax.

An examination of Levitt's QuickBooks entries revealed that she had modified and deleted several entries, the DA said.

The DA's office said that their investigation, which traced back to August 2014, involved more than 40 exhibits and 20 witnesses.

Levitt is expected to turn herself in on Wednesday. A preliminary hearing will be scheduled at that time.