August 24, 2026
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Jennifer Rivera, who was elected to the Lower Merion school board in 2025, has been charged with multiple felonies including theft by deception and access device fraud. She turned herself into police Monday.
A Lower Merion school board member allegedly charged over $50,000 in personal expenses to her former company's credit card, using business accounts to cover her own clothing and family vacations.
Jennifer Rivera, 41, turned herself into police Monday. The arrest followed an internal audit of SMB Team, a Bala Cynwyd law firm marketing agency that previously employed her. The CEO and senior finance director told Lower Merion detectives their records indicated Rivera had been stealing from the company since September 2024. A subsequent police investigation revealed the extent of Rivera's alleged crimes.
According to law enforcement, she charged $50,243.31 in personal expenses to SMB Team through a company-issued credit card and Amazon business account. The investigators uncovered $25,596.68 in spending on clothing, bathroom accessories and other personal items, as well as $1,339 for photography and videography at a bar mitzvah. Officials said Rivera also spent over $25,000 on a vacation for family and friends and planned a $9,000-plus trip to the Bahamas using company AmEx points.
Rivera was elected to the Lower Merion school board in 2025.
She is now charged with multiple felonies including theft by deception and access device fraud. Her preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 2.
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