Suspended city manager, solicitor reportedly hid bag of cash from investigators

UPDATE |

Clearfield Co., PA (WJAC) — A state grand jury investigation is providing new details about how suspended DuBois city manager Herm Suplizio allegedly stole and misused taxpayer funds.

The new court documents also detail how members of DuBois city government were reportedly involved in the investigation.

Prior to his arrest in March, authorities say they began looking into Suplizio's personal finances after receiving an anonymous complaint about how the finances of the DuBois United Way were being used.

Investigators say their initial review led to the discovery of an increase in personal purchases on Suplizio's credit card account.

However, authorities say they subsequently discovered a decrease in Suplizio's credit card payments to said account, and later learned that the remaining balance, over $57,000, was paid from public accounts associated with the DuBois Area United Way, which Suplizio served as the executive director for.

Upon further investigation, authorities say they also discovered that, from 2014 to 2021, Suplizio had submitted his work reimbursements from the United Way and from the city as "unreimbursed" on his tax returns.

Officials say Suplizio was "essentially triple-dipping for those expenditures."

As authorities continued to review Suplizio's finances, they say they discovered more discrepancies with the various city and United Way accounts, including the account associated with the DuBois Fire Department's Community Days fund.

Authorities thoroughly reviewed the accounts of the United Way and the DuBois Fire Department where they learned that Suplizio had allegedly withdrawn money from them to make political donations.

Investigators were also made aware of several fundraising discrepancies involving the United Way, including an incident in which the organization had partnered with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to the affidavit, authorities say that the United Way could not account for the money that was supposed to go to the Steelers.

Authorities say during their investigation into the fire department's Community Days fund, they discovered that DuBois solicitor Toni Cherry was also reportedly involved in some of the "movement" of Suplizio's finances.

Investigators say on March 28, 2023, Cherry reportedly left a voicemail for the solicitor of the United Way ordering the money from the organization's safe to "be brought to her," claiming that it was Community Fund money and that it did not belong to the United Way.

Authorities say officials later learned of an incident from September of 2022 in which United Way employees had allegedly discovered a bag of cash inside the organization's safe.

Investigators say a few months later, that same bag of cash was reportedly discovered missing from the safe.

Then, in March of this year, investigators say employees discovered multiple lock boxes hidden in the ceiling of the United Way offices.

Authorities say the keys to said lock boxes were later found in Suplizio's office.

According to the new court documents, on May 2, 2023, investigators say Cherry reportedly delivered a large bag of cash, totaling over $92,000, to DuBois Police Chief Blaine Clark and Interim City Manager Chris Nasuti.

Authorities say Cherry claimed that the cash belonged to the city's Community Fund and investigators say it was later deposited into a new city bank account by Chief Clark and Interim Manager Nasuti.

Officials say during a DuBois City Council meeting later that month, Cherry reportedly admitted that the bag of cash had previously been given to her by Suplizio and stated that she had kept it, for six weeks, so that it would not be confiscated by the attorney general's office.

Then in June, investigators say they interviewed Cherry where she reportedly confirmed that Suplizio had given her the bag of cash, which she later gave to the police chief and interim city manager, but stated that she could not recall when Suplizio gave it to her.

Following a thorough review of Suplizio's finances, investigators claim that he stole over $369,000 from the various public accounts, committed over $181,000 in tax fraud from the accounts and he is accused of making over $550,000 in fraudulent purchases with said accounts.

The Grand Jury report claims that there was a lack of oversight by the city of DuBois, the DuBois Area United Way and the DuBois Fire Department.

The affidavit also references an incident from 2020 in which Suplizio was accused of intimidating a manager at a local Sheetz store after police had charged former DuBois mayor Randy Schmidt with theft.

The manager claims that Suplizio showed up at the store and asked her to "make the situation go away."

When she refused, police say Suplizio reportedly stated that "it would be a shame if something happened," referring to the city's ongoing relationship with the Sheetz company.

Investigators note that PSP eventually charged Schmidt in the case but troopers claimed that there was a delay due to the "chief of police's conflict of interest."

Online court records show that Suplizio was arraigned on the new charged Wednesday and was released on unsecured bail.

ORIGINAL |

More charges have been filed against suspended DuBois city manager John 'Herm' Suplizio, who was arrested earlier this year following a state attorney general investigation into allegations of theft and fraud.

According to the new docket sheet filed Wednesday, Suplizio faces 23 new counts of various charges, including theft, proceeds of unlawful actions, restricted activities-conflict of interest and fraudulent sales tax return.

Suplizio was arrested in March after authorities accused him of stealing over $600,000 from various city bank accounts, as well as from the DuBois Area United Way, an organization that he served as executive director for.

Authorities alleged that Suplizio used the stolen funds to make personal bill payments, political donations and to gamble.

Since his arrest, Suplizio and DuBois city government has been the subject of controversary after it was revealed that the city council was reportedly paying for his legal fees.

In August, the DuBois city council approved a "buyout" of Suplizio's contract, which sparked more controversary and outcry from the public.

A Clearfield County judge later approved a temporary injunction to halt the buyout process.

The AG's office previously stated that prosecutors planned to file additional charges against Suplizio.

6 News is working to track down the new paperwork.

Stay with us online and on-air for further updates on this developing story.

ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7y6iamqRforyzsYycn5qql5rAbrLIpZydZZGcrqq60q1krK2jpbKvsMSdZJ2tkqS2tHnCoquyZZ2Wu6KzxKtkoZ2ionq0wc%2BloLOhn2KwsMHRrWSdp5OgsrW%2FjKyfqK8%3D