SHAMOKIN — The wife of a Valley police chief racked up nearly $9,000 in charges applied to credit cards she obtained fraudulently in her 80-year-old mother’s name, according to the state attorney general’s office.
Annmarie Edwina Geary, 53, of 19 Oak Lane, Shady Acres, Kulpmont, is the wife of Mount Carmel Township police Chief Donald Geary. The alleged crimes were reported to police by Geary’s sister, Lori Chesney, who had power of attorney over her mother’s affairs.
Geary was charged by the state attorney general’s office Thursday with multiple felony counts, including identity theft, to obtain the credit cards.
She then used the fraudulent cards to buy more than $8,782 worth of merchandise from various vendors between Feb. 4, 2004, and May 25, 2004.
Geary was arrested and arraigned Thursday morning before District Judge John Gembic III on five felony counts each of identity theft and theft by deception, and a misdemeanor count of tampering with records or identification.
She was released on $5,000 unsecured bail, but has to appear before Gembic at 10 a.m. Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Special Agent Joseph A. Farkus of the attorney general’s office, Geary — using information about her mother, Isabel Chesney, of Chestnut Street, Kulpmont — opened three separate credit-card accounts in February 2004 with Citibank Card Services, Hagerstown, Md.; and one credit card with Fleet/Bank of America.
Geary named herself as an authorized user on the accounts’ applications.
According to Farkus, Geary did not pay the bills and the accounts eventually became delinquent. But because they were in Isabel Chesney’s name, the mother was held responsible by the credit holders. That led to the unraveling of the crime, which was first discovered and reported to state police at Stonington by Lori Chesney.
Lori Chesney explained to Farkus that her mother did not authorize Geary to open the accounts on her behalf. The monthly credit card statements were mailed to Geary’s address. This was done, Lori Chesney said, “so that Isabel Chesney would not become aware that the accounts were ever opened in Isabel Chesney’s name.”
On Jan. 24, 2007, Farkus interviewed Sgt. Sean McGinley at the state police station in Bethlehem. McGinley had been the officer in charge of the case while stationed in Stonington.
McGinley told Farkus that when he interviewed Isabel Chesney, she said, “I don’t have any credit cards.”
McGinley then showed Isabel Chesney her alleged signature on the various card applications and was told “That’s not my signature.”
She also denied making any purchases and said that she never gave anyone permission to make purchases on the account for her.
“This,” she said to McGinley, gesturing to her home, “is all I have. Everything here is old.”
-- E-mail comments to rdandes@dailyitem.com
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