Harleysville Man Charged with Embezzling $80,000 from Elderly Woman

Written by Keith Heffintrayer 

A Harleysville man is facing felony theft charges after he allegedly embezzled $80,000 from an elderly Towamencin woman, according to Towamencin Police.

46-year-old Jeffrey Warren Stoler, of the 300 block of Manor Road, is charged with felony counts of theft by deception and theft by deception - false impression, stemming from a year-long investigation into his business relationship with the victim.

Sometime prior to May 2012, Stoler, allegedly entered into a business relationship with the victim, where he was to manage her financial investments and open up a trust, police said. Instead of transferring money into the trust, Stoler reportedly transferred it into his personal bank account, embezzling a total of $80,000 between May and June of 2012, according to police.

Relatives of the victims became suspicious of Stoler, and after they failed to receive "legitimate answers or documentation regarding the fund transfers," they contacted police, who quickly launched an investigation into the matter, a report states.

An arrest warrant was issued for Stoler on July 2, 2013, but he failed to turn himself in to police, according to the report. A day later, police learned that Stoler was living at an address on the 800 block of Cherry Street in Lansdale, at which point the Lansdale Police Department was notified and they took Stoler into custody.

Stoler was arraigned on July 4 by District Judge Deatelhouser, who set bail at $100,000. He was then remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post.