Salvation Army

Major Sharon Lynn Whispell stole $116,000 from the Tamaqua Corps and was removed from officership and incarcerated as a result.

Major Sharon Whispell
Rank	Major

A former Salvation Army major now living in York City is accused of stealing more than $100,000 from that organization's Tamaqua corps in Schuylkill County, as well as from the United Way.

Sharon Whispell, 53, now of the first block of East King Street, remains free on $25,000 bail, charged with two counts of theft by deception and one count each of receiving stolen property and theft by failure to make required disposition.

All the charges are felonies, according to court records, and she is also charged with a misdemeanor count of tampering with records. Whispell was arraigned on the charges Thursday, Aug. 8, court records state.

Tamaqua Police allege she stole a total of $116,913.33 — about $80,313 from the Salvation Army between October 2015 and June 2019, and about $36,600 from the United Way in Schuylkill County between April 2017 and April 2019.

According to charging documents, a major from the Salvation Army's Tamaqua corps came to police in June with fraudulent receipts submitted by Whispell, for which she had been reimbursed.

Whispell confessed to a Salvation Army superior that she stole the money, documents allege.

The Salvation Army then moved her to housing owned by the organization in York City, according to police.

Investigators determined the receipts submitted by Whispell didn't match the purchases, and that she created the receipts to hide her thefts, charging documents allege.

Suspended, then fired: A statement from the Salvation Army's general secretary, Major Edgar George Jr., said Whispell was suspended after “financial irregularities in the management of the Tamaqua Corps Community Center” were discovered during an annual audit.

Whispell's employment was subsequently terminated, according to the statement.

The Salvation Army doesn't tolerate “conduct unbecoming of our officers,” George noted in the statement, adding he and others in the organization are saddened by the allegations.

No clients lost services because of the alleged thefts, according to George.

Whispell could not be reached Friday for comment. It was unclear if she has retained an attorney.

The woman formerly in charge of The Salvation Army in Tamaqua was charged Thursday with stealing $116,913.33 from that organization.

Tamaqua Police Cpl. Thomas Rodgers said Sharon Whispell, 53, of York, was taken into custody with the assistance of York police and returned to Schuylkill County.

She was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer, Tamaqua, on one felony count each of theft by deception, theft, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, receiving stolen property and tampering with records or identification.

Whispell was released from Schuylkill County Jail after posting $25,000 bail.

Whispell, formerly the local administrative officer for the Tamaqua Salvation Army, was suspended July 3 after an internal audit revealed what the agency called “financial irregularities.”

Rodgers said the investigation began in June when he was contacted by the Salvation Army’s Philadelphia office regarding fraudulent receipts submitted by Whispell.

Lt. Col. Larry Ashcraft reported that when confronted, Whispell admitted to the purchases and also admitted to re-creating and submitting fraudulent receipts for reimbursement, the corporal said.

Rodgers said a subsequent audit dating to 2015 revealed that between October 2015 and June 2019, there were $80,313.37 in fraudulent purchases submitted for reimbursement.

Also, it was revealed that between April 2017 and April 2019, there were $36,599.36 in fraudulent purchases, Rodgers said.

“During the audit it was found that the purchases did not match the receipts provided and the receipts had been re-created to show items other than what was actually purchased,” Rodgers said.

“We are saddened to hear of the arrest of Sharon Whispell, but The Salvation Army holds its officers to the highest standards of behavior,” General Secretary Major Edgar George said in a statement. “Conduct unbecoming of our officers is not tolerated.”

George confirmed that after the financial irregularities were discovered , Whispell was suspended and, prior to her arrest, her officership was suspended.

George said The Salvation Army fully cooperated with Tamaqua police and that there was no lapse in services to the community.

A former major with the Tamaqua Salvation Army charged with stealing more than $80,000 from that organization over a four-year period was charged Tuesday with setting a fire inside the West Broad Street headquarters earlier this year.

Sharon L. Whispell, 43, appeared for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer on the theft charges but, prior to the proceeding, was charged in connection to the fire.

“All I can say is that I’m innocent, that’s all I can say,” Whispell said while leaving Bayer’s office. “I would never hurt anyone, I help people.”

Tamaqua police Patrolman Thomas Rodgers charged Whispell, who currently lives in Georgia, with one felony count each of aggravated arson, arson-danger of death or bodily injury, arson-inhabited building or structure and risking a catastrophe, and four misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person.

Rodgers alleges Whispell lit a fire in the donations storage room at the 105 W. Broad St. building on May 12.

State police fire marshal Trooper Joseph Hall of the Frackville station determined the fire was intentionally set in two places.

After the brief arraignment, Bayer added an additional $50,000 unsecured bail for the arson charges on top of Whispell’s $25,000 unsecured bail for the theft charges.

In that case, Rodgers said that between 2015 and 2019 Whispell stole $80,313.37. She was originally charged with stealing $116,913.33 but that figure was amended by prosecutors and reduced by $36,599.96. After the hearing, Rodgers said the reduction was made after financial records were reviewed.

“It was a miscommunication,” he said of the additional money being included originally.

In the theft case, Whispell waived her right to a hearing on one felony count each of theft by deception, theft, receiving stolen property and theft by failure to make required disposition of fund,s as well as a misdemeanor charge of tampering with records or identification.

Bayer accepted the waiver and bound the theft charges to Schuylkill County Court, where Whispell can plead guilty or enter a not guilty plea and request a trial.

Rodgers said that between October 2015 and June 2019, Whispell submitted fraudulent purchases to the Salvation Army for reimbursement.

Following the hearing Maj. Edgar George Jr., general secretary of the Salvation in Philadelphia, released a statement that said “we are saddened to hear that Sharon Whispell has been charged with arson.”

“Our paramount concern is for the Tamaqua community and the people we serve. Fortunately, no one was injured. Our premises are secure, and we continue to offer our full complement of services,” he said.

He said the organization will have no further comment as the investigation proceeds, “but we pledge to continue to fully cooperate with authorities, to work to keep the trust of the Tamaqua community, and to continue to provide for everyone.”

Whispell will appear for a preliminary hearing on the arson charges on Oct. 1 before Bayer.

Sharon L. Whispell, the former Tamaqua Salvation Army major, was sentenced to Schuylkill County Prison on Wednesday in front of a Schuylkill County judge.

Last summer, the Salvation Army found discrepancies in paperwork totaling $116,913.33 dating back to 2015. An audit illustrated $80,313.37 in fraudulent purchases submitted to the Salvation Army for reimbursement between October 2015 and June 2019, and $36,599.96 in fraudulent purchases submitted to The United Way between April 2017 and 2019 for reimbursement.

Tamaqua’s Cpl. Thomas Rodgers was contacted by Maj. Cornell of the Salvation Army on Aug. 6, 2019, to inform him of the discoveries. The next day, a complaint was prepared, and a warrant was issued for Whispell’s arrest. She was arrested in York on Aug. 8. Whispell’s Salvation Army officership was terminated prior to her arrest.

On Wednesday, she received an incarceration sentencing of 11-and-a-half to 23 months and was ordered to pay back in restitution $80,313.37.

“Unfortunately, she had a long history with the Salvation Army. It’s sad to see it end that way,” said Schuylkill County District Attorney Michael O’Pake. “She was a trusted employee of the Salvation Army. Unfortunately, sometimes they’re the employees that commit the crime, and you have the Salvation Army that’s out there trying to do good for people and they become a victim. It’s a sad ending to a sad story.”

Whispell, 53, of Georgia, pleaded no contest to charges of risking a catastrophe and four counts of recklessly endangering another person.

Tamaqua police filed a second case against her stating that she started a fire at the Salvation Army on May 12 of last year. She received five years of probation consecutive to the first case and must pay $25,000 restitution to the Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army said in a statement, “This release concerns the unfortunate events involving Sharon Whispell that culminated in her pleading no contest to a number of charges including those of theft and recklessly endangering others, related to the May 12, 2019, fire at The Salvation Army Tamaqua Corps. The Salvation Army is sad such events occurred but understands that no one, including an individual who wore our uniform, is above the law.”

Whispell was given a delayed reporting date. No victims spoke at the sentencing.

“We at The Salvation Army are so very grateful that no one was injured in the fire,” continued the Salvation Army press release. “Our paramount concern is with the Tamaqua community and the people we dedicate ourselves to serve. The Salvation Army will continue to work to earn the trust of the Tamaqua community. We hope that our long record of dedicated service, and transparency throughout this matter, will offer consolation and confidence.”

• Former head of Salvation Army charged with arson
• York woman accused of stealing $116k from Salvation Army, United Way
• Former Tamaqua Salvation Army officer charged with stealing more than $100,000
• Ex-Salvation Army officer facing theft charges now accused of arson, too
• Ex-Salvation Army head sentenced