Employee Awaits Hearing, Accused of Forging Nearly $3,000 in Fake Pay Checks

A preliminary hearing was postponed for an Ambridge man accused of stealing checks from a local labor employment company where he worked and forging nearly $3,000.

Leetsdale police charged Timothy Sepella, 28, of Ambridge, with eight counts of writing bad checks, and one count each of forgery and theft from off Route 65 in Leetsdale.

According to a criminal complaint, Sepella had been working for Labor Ready in the office in a light-duty capacity and was supposed to destroy and dispose of the old payroll checks that were stored in the office.

Instead, police said Sepella took around 150 checks and made out eight of them to himself.  He also made out three additional checks to a friend and a fourth check to another friend, totaling $2,922, police said.

Each check ranged from $697 to $206.

Branch manager Gary Trout filed a theft complaint with police after he became aware of the thefts from BP in Ambridge. Police said BP contacted Labor Ready on June 26 after the checks that were cashed there bounced.

Police interviewed one of Sepella’s friends, who said Sepella used an old typewriter to make out the checks and began giving them out at the beginning of May.

A preliminary hearing is rescheduled for July 17.

The following people were charged and scheduled for preliminary hearings July 3 at office in Leetsdale:

Postponed

• , 26, of Pittsburgh, charged with theft. said Yost posed as a certified contractor and stole $900 from a Leetsdale couple. The residents had to make arrangements for a different contractor, which cost another $2,460, police said.

• Dana Dais, 23, of Leetsdale, charged with harassment, simple assault, and disorderly conduct. June 21 Leetsdale police reported that Dais screamed at someone and shoved the person violently across the room on June 21. Police responded to a home in the 300 block of Beaver Street after receiving a report of screaming.

Waived

• Blayke Busby, 20, of Aliquippa, charged with driving while suspended, possession of heroin, unauthorized use of an automobile. stopped Busby after his vehicle was seen traveling on Route 65 with studded tires. During a search, police found 14 stamp bags of heroin. Police said the owner of the vehicle also reported to police that she never gave Busby or anyone permission to drive the car. Busby was also charged June 26 with intimidation of a witness. Police said he threatened the vehicle owner to change her story because he has kids and can’t get into trouble.