An attorney was suspended Monday after embezzling more than $270,000 from the historic Fort Pitt Block House, the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania announced.
The suspension is for a period of three years — retroactive to May 5, 2024 — on consent from the Pennsylvania Bar.
Investigators accused Rebecca Catherine Stein in 2023 of using her power as treasurer of the Fort Pitt Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution to write checks totaling more than $277,000 to make payments on 13 credit cards, according to the criminal complaint.
She pleaded guilty to criminal charges on Feb. 22, 2024.
She was elected as treasurer in 2018, the complaint said, and she had “sole control” over the bank accounts.
The Fort Pitt Society was created in 1892 to accept donations to preserve the Fort Pitt Block House, which is the only remaining part of Fort Pitt. The Society comprises members of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The money was more than half of the $500,000 the nonprofit organization had in its coffers to preserve Pittsburgh’s oldest building.
Built in 1764, the building was first used to defend the fort from attacks by Native Americans during the mid-18th century.
Bank statements from PNC Bank and First Commonwealth Bank accounts in 2023 revealed checks written by and payable to Stein — with the amounts ranging from $172 to $18,000.
Overall, between 2019 and 2023, Stein had issued 101 checks totaling approximately $315,332.21 to herself. She was the only signer of the checks, the complaint said.
She then deposited the checks into personal accounts at PNC Bank and Bank of America.
In addition to the checks, Stein was making large monthly payments to numerous credit cards, including Bank of America, PNC Bank, Banana Republic, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Applecard GS Bank, Capital One, L.L.Bean, Comenity, Best Buy, Barclaycard, Wells Fargo and CitiCards.
Only $36,947.96 of the unauthorized purchases were legitimate expenses that benefitted the Fort Pitt Society, the complaint said.
While Stein’s crime didn’t involve the “misappropriation of client funds,” she used a position of trust to steal from charitable organizations that “rely on the generosity of the public for their operations,” the complaint said.
Citing periods of mania during which the embezzling occurred, Stein experiences foggy memory when she reflects on her crimes, according to the complaint.
“When (Stein) came back down into a depressive state, she experienced debilitating remorse and embarrassment, which devolved into extremely depressive thoughts,” the complaint said.
Stein is receiving mental health treatment for bipolar disorder, and she repaid the full restitution of $277,092, according to the complaint.
Stein’s attorney, Ryan H. James with James Law, did not return request for comment Monday.