TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The former Bradford County coroner has been arrested on several felony charges.
55-year-old Thomas Carman is accused of stealing nearly half a million dollars from a non-profit he helped run. On Wednesday, Carman walked into state police barracks in Towanda and didn’t have anything to say as he told reporters, “no comment.”
The former Bradford County coroner is accused of stealing more than $400,000 from Western Alliance Emergency Services in Troy.
“When the investigation was going on, while I was talking to them on the phone and they were here obviously talking to me. That it was a significant amount of money but I did not know it was that significant,” Rodney Decker, CEO, Western Alliance Emergency Services said.
In 2018, the non-profit was on the verge of bankruptcy. The volunteer board discovered embezzlement by Carman, according to court paperwork.
Carman was the CEO of Western Alliance and had control of its finances from 2014 until his departure in early 2019 when an audit and the investigation started.
“We had an audit done… Showed some discrepancies that were concerning to us. We turned it over to the state police who then turned it over to the attorney general’s office,” Decker exclaimed.
According to court paperwork, Carman spent more than $355,000 on concerts, games, music, food, clothing and at department stores. Plus, the non-profit was deprived of $75,000 over five years over Carman refusing to charge rent for his own coroner’s office. Finally, in 2016, the former elected official was charged with a DUI. According to court paperwork he issued a $1,000 check to pay attorney fees.
All totaling to more than $431,000. Decker says Western Alliance is moving forward.
“We’ve come a long ways to turn that corner. But it is… It’s a struggle every day with the reimbursements we’re getting from insurance companies and trying to keep the doors open and it’s not just here. It’s, like you said, it’s rurally a mess and it’s across the country,” Decker said.
The Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office is also investigating Carman for a different case. This comes after video was circulating online from Musa Harris, known as the Luzerne County predator catcher, who said Carmen was allegedly trying to meet up with a 15-year-old boy for sex.
Carman resigned from his position as county coroner nearly a month ago.
