Cops: 'Shopaholic' stole $19G from Pa. cheerleaders
Woman's attorney: It was more of a 'short-term loan'
Posted: August 27, 2013 - 12:09pm
BETHEL PARK, Pa. (AP) -- Police say a woman who confessed to being a "shopaholic" has stolen more than $19,000 from a cheerleading group she once headed.
But attorneys for 41-year-old Mary Schneir, of Bethel Park, say the missing money is more akin to a "short-term loan" which the woman is working to repay.
Those comments were made after Schneir waived her right to a preliminary hearing Monday on theft charges.
Police say Schneir withdrew more than $10,000 in cash from the Bethel Park Junior Cheerleaders' bank account in 2011 and 2012, and another $9,000 from automatic teller machines using the group's debit card.
Police say Schneir bought diet pills, luggage and items for her daughter's dance recital, among other personal expenses and has confessed to being a shopaholic.