Former township secretary in Penns Valley arrested after $533K in municipal funds went missing
.JPG "The former Gregg Township secretary is facing felony charges after the township reported more than $500,000 in missing funds.")
A former Gregg Township secretary/treasurer, who was put on indefinite leave following accusations involving more than $500,000 in missing township funds, was arrested Wednesday and charged with four felonies.
Pamela Hackenburg, 55, of Union County, has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Dec. 11 before Judge Gregory M. Koehle. She was released on unsecured bail of $500,000.
She is facing two first-degree felonies related to theft and two third-degree felonies comprised of access device fraud and identity theft. Specifics of Hackenburg’s case were not immediately available from court documents, as the magisterial office was closed Friday, but some details have played out publicly during public meetings within Gregg Township, which is part of the Penns Valley.
Over the summer, a tax accountant estimated that about $533,000 was unknowingly spent from the township’s accounts. At the time, the township reported then that its prior secretary “appears to have been involved in a series of transactions that resulted in large amounts of money being spent from Township accounts.”
Gregg Township has typically avoided using Hackenburg’s name aloud but, now that she’s been formally arrested, township supervisor Ben Haupt confirmed Friday to the CDT that Hackenburg was charged with crimes related to the township. And the top story on the township’s website Friday was also titled, “Pam Hackenburg arrested this morning – November 27, 2024.”
On the website, the township wrote that more details would follow later.
“We just want justice,” said Haupt, one of the township supervisors. “That’s all.”
Hackenburg’s name has appeared on Gregg Township meeting minutes since at least January 2019, and it last appeared in May 2024. The township previously acknowledged believing Hackenburg’s “activities” existed in 2021 — and possibly before — when she was placed on indefinite leave without pay.
In August, state police confirmed to the CDT they were already investigating the case. And, on Wednesday, a state police officer arrested Hackenburg.
In public meetings since the summer, residents of the small municipality also pushed supervisors for answers and asked elected officials for transparency through the process.
CDT reporter Bret Pallotto contributed to this story
