Man pleads no contest to stealing funds from Shamokin Pastime Club

SUNBURY - The former secretary-treasurer of the Pastime Club in Shamokin will have to wait until a pre-sentence investigation is completed to determine if a judge will accept his no-contest plea.

The plea requires Vaughn Leisenring, 62, of 1202 Chemung St., Coal Township, to pay only $24,000 in restitution over more than six years.

Leisenring is charged with stealing approximately $125,000 from the social club during a six-year period.

Leisenring entered a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor charge of theft by unlawful taking Monday morning before Northumberland County Judge William H. Wiest, and was scheduled to be sentenced. But the judge, after hearing testimony that chastised Leisenring for his alleged crimes by Andy Kalinowski, a former vice president of the Pastime Club, decided not to accept the plea agreement due to the nature of the crime and number of people affected by it.

Wiest then conferred for several minutes in a sidebar with Northumberland County Assistant District Attorney Michael Toomey and Leisenring's attorney, Stephen Becker, of Lewisburg, who told the judge that the prosecution, Pastime Club officials and defense had approved the plea agreement. Following the sidebar, Wiest said he would make a ruling to accept or reject the no-contest plea once a pre-sentence investigation is completed within 90 days.

Leisenring, who served as secretary of the club from January 2001 to April 2007, will be sentenced if his plea agreement is accepted by Wiest. All other charges filed in the case will not be prosecuted if Wiest accepts the plea.

By pleading no-contest to the single charge of theft by unlawful taking, Leisenring is neither admitting nor denying guilt in the case. But for sentencing purposes, his no-contest plea is the same as a guilty plea.

Under the initial plea agreement entered on Monday, Leisenring, who has no prior criminal record, will be required to pay back $24,000 over an 80-month period ($300 per month) to the Pastime Club. Leisenring doesn't face any jail time under the plea agreement.

His attorney said a dispute exists over the amount of money his client is accused of stealing. He said the $125,000 Pastime Club officials accused him of stealing is "not correct."

In addition to the restitution, the defendant, who remains free on bail, will most likely be placed on probation.

Leisenring, who declined comment during and after the legal proceeding, is charged by Shamokin Patrolman William Zalinski with two counts each of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and receiving stolen property, and charges of theft by failure to make required deposition of funds received and criminal conspiracy to commit theft. He is accused of not depositing approximately $125,231.82 in club profits from its bar and legal gambling receipts from August to December 2006.

Kalinowski, who served as vice president of the organization when the crimes were allegedly committed and was primarily responsible for uncovering the missing funds, testified Monday that Leisenring should be ashamed of stealing money from the club and for betraying the trust other officers had in him.

"For six years, he (Leisenring) cleaned us out," Kalinowski told the court. "I hope this sends a message to the rest of the community and various clubs to make sure they do background checks on the people they leave in charge of finances."

Kalinowski, who referred to Leisenring as a "con-artist," told Leisenring, "I looked 'scumbag' up in the dictionary, and your picture was there."

Kalinowski said he was glad Wiest postponed his decision about accepting the plea agreement.

"The judge did a good thing there because this will make him (Leisenring) sweat a little longer," Kalinowski said.

Allen E. Dilliplane, 56, of 1343 W. Walnut St., Coal Township, who was president of the Pastime Club when the crimes occurred, also was charged by Zalinski in the probe with one count each of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, theft by deception and criminal conspiracy.

Dilliplane, who has cooperated with authorities since his arrest, is accused of conspiring with Leisenring to take $5,000 from the club's treasury for personal use. Police said Dilliplane then got a personal loan through the club to pay the money back.

Dilliplane waived his charges in June to Northumberland County Court and has applied for acceptance into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program.

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