May 12, 2016
The former head of a crime advocacy organization has been arrested and charged with misusing funds for a variety of personal expenses, city officials said Wednesday.
Stephanie Mayweather, 52, served as executive director of East Division Crime Victims Services, which provides free services to victims of violent crimes in South Philadelphia.
Mayweather, a Mullica Hill, New Jersey, resident, was in charge of keeping the organization’s financial records.
She also secured yearly grant funding from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
A joint investigation from the Philadelphia Inspector General and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office revealed that from January 2010 to March 2013, Mayweather used the organization's funds to pay for $15,121.39 in unauthorized charges, according to a criminal complaint.
Those expenses included restaurant meals, grocery store purchases, ATM withdrawals, hotel stays, a personal cellphone plan and tuition at a university, authorities said.
Mayweather has been charged with theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property and theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received.
She was arraigned Tuesday and released on her own recognizance. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 25.
