Shopa, left, and Althouse. (Credit: Montgomery County DA)
A second arrest was made after a former Lower Merion traffic clerk turned herself into police Wednesday to face charges of theft from the district court in which she was employed, said a release from the county level.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele announced today the charging of Lisa Anne Shopa, 58, of Havertown, and Patricia Althouse, 54, of Ardmore, on multiple felony charges related to stealing cash payments submitted to Magisterial District Court 38-1-07 in Lower Merion Township and then falsifying court records to cover the thefts.
The investigation began on Sept. 16, 2024, when Montgomery County Detectives met with Deputy Court Administrator for Special Courts John Savoth, who oversees the Montgomery County magisterial district court system. Savoth told detectives that an internal review of Magisterial District Court 38-1-07 showed that the court’s office manager, Lisa Shopa, was stealing cash submitted to the court to pay parking and traffic violation fines. She was then marking some or all of the violations in the court computer system as “withdrawn” in order to cover her theft and was depositing some or none of the collected fine monies into the court’s bank account.
Court staff reported to Savoth that Shopa had issued a directive to staff that all cash fines were to be issued a hand-written receipt—which is contrary to established district court procedures that require computer receipts to be issued. Additionally, only a judge or a member of law enforcement with a judge’s approval are allowed to withdraw charges in the court system.
The subsequent investigation was conducted by Montgomery County Detectives that included a review of Magisterial District Court 38-1-07 records regarding all parking and traffic-related offenses from Jan. 1, 2024 to Oct. 31, 2024, the court’s bank records and surveillance video of the court’s office area. This investigation was conducted with the full cooperation of the court. The investigation ultimately found that Shopa and Patricia Althouse, the court’s traffic clerk, conspired to intentionally steal traffic and parking fines, totaling $7,499.49.
In the process, they defrauded local, county, and state government entities by illegally altering the final disposition of numerous cases, marking them as withdrawn in the official court system. Some of the withdrawn citations involved certain violations of Title 75, which carried penalties that rise above a fine, including suspension by PennDOT of vehicle registration and driving privileges.
“The significant theft and tampering with official court records by these defendants is egregious and undermines the integrity of the judicial system. We take these crimes very seriously,” said DA Steele. “By altering the court record and stealing these fine monies, the defendants were also depriving governmental agencies of much-needed funds—for instance, monies that help car crash victims suffering from catastrophic injuries or the Emergency Medical Services Operating Fund—and impacted PennDOT and its ability to suspend driving privileges or otherwise carry out required penalties.”
DA Steele also noted that Montgomery County court administrators are correcting the errors in the dockets and the court record caused by the defendants’ actions. Court administration is also working to correct any false or absent reporting to other governmental agencies derived from these false records.
Shopa was arrested on Dec. 23, 2024, and charged with multiple felonies, including Tampering with Public Records, Theft by Unlawful Taking, Receiving Stolen Property, Theft by Failing to Make Required Deposits, Unlawful Use of Computer and Computer Trespass, as well as several misdemeanor charges. She was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Adam T. Katzman on Dec. 23, 2024, who set bail at $5,000 unsecured, and she was released. A preliminary hearing was scheduled on Jan. 23, 2025, before Magisterial District Judge Henry J. Schireson, all charges were waived to the Court of Common Pleas.
Althouse was charged on Feb. 10, 2025, following the continued investigation and review of the Magisterial District Court files by Montgomery County Detectives. She turned herself in on Feb. 12, 2025, to face multiple felony charges, including Theft by Unlawful Taking, Receiving Stolen Property, Theft by Failing to Make Required Deposits, Misapplying Entrusted Government/Financial/Institutional Property, Securing Executed Documents by Deception, Obstructing the Administration of Law and Other Government Functions, and others. Althouse was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Edward C. Kropp Sr., who set bail at $5,000 unsecured, and she was released. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:15 a.m., Feb. 27, 2025, before Judge Schireson.
The case is being prosecuted by District Attorney Kevin Steele.
