2 women accused of siphoning money from incarcerated Hempfield woman's trust funds

Two Hempfield women are accused of stealing more than $100,000 from trust funds they had access to while a relative of one of the women was in prison for a purse snatching spree, according to court documents.

The state attorney general’s office this week charged Roni K. Boltich, 35, and Stephanie K. Little, 30, both of the Hempfield village of Wendel, in connection with the thefts from trust funds belonging to Autumn L. Walsh. Each is charged with theft, identity theft, misapplication of entrusted financial property and criminal conspiracy.

Boltich and Little are free on $10,000 unsecured bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Nov. 3.

Their attorney, Douglas Sepic of Connellsville, could not be reached for comment.

In July 2015, Walsh, now 39, pleaded guilty to committing six purse thefts — including a purse snatching that resulted in breaking the hip of now-retired assistant district attorney Barbara Jollie. Walsh, also of Wendel, was sentenced to serve five years in prison.

According to court documents, Walsh’s accomplice in those thefts was her boyfriend, Jason R. Price, now 44, of Jeannette. He pleaded guilty in 2015 and is serving 12 1⁄2 to 25 years in prison.

Walsh was released from state prison in August 2019. Before her release, she approached county detectives about missing money from two trust funds belonging to her. Detective Will Brown assisted in the investigation.

According to court documents filed by agents with the attorney general’s office, Walsh and younger sister, Jaime, had trust funds established as part of an insurance settlement following the deaths of their parents, who died in a 2001 motorcycle accident.

When Jaime died in 2013, at age 26, Walsh received control of her trust fund — which at the time contained more than $58,000, investigators reported.

Walsh gave power of attorney over the accounts to a relative before she went to prison. A stipulation was that the relative use $150 a month for the care of Walsh’s three dogs and that $400 be deposited each month into her prison accounts as well the one of her boyfriend, Agent Stephen Adametz reported.

When the relative became medically incapable of caring for Walsh’s dogs, power of attorney was transferred to Boltich — who is Walsh’s cousin — and Little, according to court papers.

“In 2018, (Walsh) became unhappy with the job Little and Roni (Boltich) were doing as her power of attorney,” Adametz wrote in court documents.

County authorities stepped in and removed Walsh’s dogs from the care of Boltich and Little due to health issues. Court records indicate deposits into the couple’s prison expense accounts also had ceased.

After Walsh was released from prison, she repeatedly asked Boltich and Little to accompany her to the bank to review the accounts. The pair repeatedly made excuses to delay the trip. When the trio finally went to the bank, Walsh discovered more than $50,000 was missing from Jamie’s account, Adametz reported.

“After Boltich and Little dropped off Walsh, they have not spoken again,” he wrote.

A month before Walsh was released from prison, Boltich and Little withdrew at least $28,000 from Walsh’s accounts and placed the money their own personal accounts, court documents state.

Boltich told a relative who asked about the missing money that Walsh informed Little and her “that they could use the money on themselves,” Adametz reported. “Walsh denies this.”