BELLEFONTE — The former secretary of a rural Pennsylvania township has been sentenced to state prison time for stealing more than half a million dollars in public funds for sports betting, trips, and personal purchases.
Pamela Hackenburg, 56, of Union County, was sentenced Tuesday to two to four years of imprisonment in a state correctional facility and two years of probation. Centre County Judge Katherine Oliver also ordered Hackenburg to pay $615,580.78 in restitution to Gregg Township, where she was the secretary and treasurer from 2019 to 2024.
Centre County Assistant District Attorney Crystal Hundt, who prosecuted the case, requested the exact sentence and said a more punitive than usual judgement is warranted. Hackenburg pleaded guilty in July to three felony charges of theft, identity theft, and access device fraud. She admitted to stealing $532,747.67 from the small township of about 2,200 residents.
Oliver said the harsh sentence is appropriate because the crimes involved thousands of acts of theft during the entire course of Hackenburg’s employment as a fiduciary to the township and its residents.
“That duty was repeatedly breached,” she said.
Victims spoke in court Tuesday for about an hour and emphasized the deception and manipulation Hackenburg carried out over the years as Gregg Township’s main administrator. Residents and local officials described emotional pain, stress, and financial struggles the community has dealt with in the aftermath of Hackenburg’s theft of public funds.
Township employees risked losing health insurance several times because Hackenburg messed up payments, they told the court in statements. The township is also having trouble securing a loan to fix a road.
“She betrayed us all,” Gregg Township Supervisor Carol Gingrich said in court.
Supervisor Vicky Vanada, who took office in January 2024, months before the discovery of the embezzlement, told the court that Hackenburg lied to township officials and employees, fabricated financial information, and gave herself total control over the rural government.
In a tearful account, Vanada detailed the mental stress township leaders and residents experienced. “A godly person would not do what Pam has done,” she said.
Hackenburg submitted several letters of support from her church in petitioning for a probation sentence. In court Tuesday, she gave a short statement and apologized to the community.
“It’s never my intention to hurt you all,” she said. She talked about losing her parents and pet in recent years and said she was “extremely disappointed” in herself. Hackenburg’s attorney said she is a victim of a “devastating” gambling addiction, and said she has participated in Gamblers Anonymous since her arrest.
Oliver denied a request to delay Hackenburg’s imprisonment and ordered her sentence to begin Tuesday. Hackenburg was ordered to pay back the entire amount she stole from the township, as well as legal and accounting fees.
The bulk of Hackenburg’s theft was perpetrated using township credit cards she paid off with taxpayer money, Spotlight PA previously reported.
Hackenburg was the only person with password access to the township’s First National Bank accounts, and bank statements were normally mailed to her, a State Police investigator found.
Records obtained by Spotlight PA showed transactions on DraftKings, a sports betting platform, totaled $322,185. Money spent via Venmo reached $149,335.25. Other personal purchases, like spending at restaurants, resorts, clothing stores, and more, climbed to $48,893.42.
By the time Gregg Township sent outside accountants to clean out her locked office, it was a complete “mess,” with piles of papers and uncashed checks strewn everywhere, according to a charging document.
Police said Hackenburg used multiple Gregg Township funds, including a restricted road project loan of $500,000, to pay off the enormous balances.
Local oversight has tightened since the theft was discovered, Gregg Township Supervisor Ben Haupt told the public at a December meeting. Among other practices, supervisors now review bank statements regularly, he said, and supervisors and the secretary undergo annual background checks.
The township awaits a decision by its insurer regarding how much of the losses will be covered by its bond policy. In an early June court filing related to a public records request from Spotlight PA, the township said it estimated a decision would come within 60 days.