A Hampton woman is facing multiple felony charges after being accused of stealing nearly $130,000 in student activity fees while serving as the Deer Lakes School District’s accounts receivable/payable clerk.
Rachel Rominski, 53, is charged with theft by unlawful taking, misapplication of entrusted funds and receiving stolen property.
Rominski was hired at the district in August 2021 and was responsible for collecting payments, including student club fees and athletic event ticket sales, to be deposited in the district’s bank account, according to a criminal complaint filed against her.
She was also responsible for managing the accounting system and funds of each club or group, the complaint said.
Rominski is accused of keeping cash payments and only submitting check payments for deposit, authorities said. She was the only person with a key to access a locked deposit bag, the complaint stated.
The district launched an internal investigation during the summer of 2024, after the district’s business manager Bradley Snyder found a large sum of cash for student extracurricular activities was missing, according to the complaint.
Detectives from the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office took over the case in late September, the complaint said.
The missing cash came from various sources, including athletic events, classes, student clubs and groups based at Deer Lakes High School, police said.
Club and group sponsors reportedly approached high school leadership saying the ledgers kept by Rominski did not match the amount of money that was supposed to be in the clubs’ balances, the complaint said. The sponsors also confronted Rominski about the differing numbers to no avail, according to the complaint.
The total of the stolen funds between 2023 and 2025 is about $128,454, according to the complaint.
Rominski’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14 before District Judge Tom Swan.