Delanco construction office clerk charged with theft of permit and registration fees

DELANCO A former employee of the townships construction office was charged with stealing money from building permit and rental registration fees and using it for personal expenses, authorities said Friday.

Carla Ann Sarlo, 44, of South Warrington Avenue in Cinnaminson, was charged with one count of third-degree theft for taking $1,200 in fees she was supposed to deposit into a municipal bank account, the Burlington County Prosecutors Office said.

Sarlo surrendered to authorities Friday morning and was released on her own recognizance pending the presentation of her case to a county grand jury for indictment.

She began working as a clerk in the Delanco construction office in September 2003 and is alleged to have stolen the permit fees between May 1, 2011, and June 30, 2011. The money came from 12 individuals who sought permits and rental registrations and paid their fees in cash, investigators said.

Instead of making bank deposits on the townships behalf, Sarlo stole the money and used it to pay for gasoline, food and her cellphone bill. To conceal the thefts, she recorded the transactions in a log but later voided the entries, authorities said.

The thefts were discovered after a person who paid Sarlo for a rental registration received a delinquent notice from the township.

Sarlo, who was fired in August, has repaid the municipality $941, said Joel Bewley, spokesman for the Prosecutors Office.

The case was investigated by detectives from the Prosecutors Offices special investigations unit.

David Levinsky: 609-871-8154; email: dlevinsky@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @davidlevinsky

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Delanco construction office clerk charged with theft of permit and registration fees