Former Chester County Sheriff Welsh Must Pay Restitution, Fine

WEST CHESTER, PA — Former Chester County Sheriff Carolyn "Bunny" Welsh will pay a fine and restitution after pleading no contest to charges of Diversion of Services and Theft by Unlawful Taking.

The case was heard Wednesday in Lancaster County Court by Judge Joseph C. Madenspacher who ordered Welsh be fined $2,500.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Press Office said restitution of $16,533.92 must be paid to Chester County, jointly both Welsh and Harry McKinney, with whom Welsh lives and worked in the Chester County Sheriff's office.

Welsh's portion of the restitution ordered is $12,167.93. McKinney must pay $4,365.99 in restitution specifically to the Chester County K-9 unit, the A.G.'s Office said.

McKinney was fined $3,500, according to the Attorney General's Office.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office late last year accused Welsh of misusing monies in the sheriff's office K-9 unit fund. Welsh pleaded no contest in March to the charges.

Welsh, 77, was charged in November 2020 with theft by unlawful taking and with diversion of services, both second-degree misdemeanors. She was sheriff in Chester County for 20 years, running as a Republican. She was replaced by Democrat and former Pennsylvania State Trooper Fredda Maddox in 2019.

The attorney general's offices alleged both Welsh and former sheriff's office employee McKinney improperly used funds from the K-9 unit.

Welsh and McKinney have the same address in Chadds Ford. The A.G.'s criminal complaint stated that while Welsh was sheriff, McKinney had held the position of Deputy 1, and Welsh gave him the 'honorary' title of lieutenant, assigning him supervisory duties over the K-9 unit and placing him in charge of fundraising for the unit.

McKinney,64, had also pleaded no contest to the charges and was charged with one count of Diversion of Services and two counts of Theft by Unlawful Taking, according to court documents.

The charges came after Chester County Controller Margaret Reif spent two years investigating Welsh's activities. Reif in 2018 subpoenaed financial records from the sheriff's office. Her office looked into how Welsh was spending funds from the K-9 unit and how the sheriff's office accounted for nearly $200,000 in donations.

The attorney general's probable cause statement alleged Welsh allowed salaried deputies to do non-governmental work, while on the payroll, much of it at the Wild Game Dinner fundraiser. Also, for every hour the employees spent volunteering during hours after work, Welsh awarded them 1.5 hours of paid comp time, used later as paid time off, the affidavit stated.

The complaint alleged McKinney reimbursed himself with money from the K-9 fund for care costs of his family pet. These included medicine, grooming, treatments, and overnight grooming.

McKinney had exclusive approval power over the K-9 account, the A.G.'s affidavit said.

A no contest plea, or "nolo contender," falls short of an admission of guilt but it is an acknowledgment that the evidence brought when the charges were filed is sufficient for the defendant to be found guilty.

A judge's sentencing after a no contest plea is then based on an evaluation of the charges.

Read an earlier report on the story here.

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