Former Pittston Township secretary sentenced to house arrest

WILKES-BARRE – A former Township secretary who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $31,000 from the township’s garbage fund was sentenced Wednesday to eight to 16 months of house arrest.Carolyn Tirone, 68, of Winter Street, was sentenced on charges of theft by failure to make required deposit of funds by Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge David Lupas. Tirone pleaded guilty to the charges in June.Lupas, who said the standard sentencing range for the crime is three to 12 months, imposed a stiffer sentence because “of the nature of the offence.”According to court records, township supervisors Chairman Anthony Attardo noticed discrepancies within the township’s garbage bag collection fund in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Attardo told investigators earlier this year that an audit showed $31,211 was missing from the fund over a three year period.For more on the story, see tomorrow's Times Leader.