Ex-County Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Funds

The former chief deputy in the Delaware County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court has pleaded guilty to third-degree, felony charges of stealing funds from the office.

Christine Trout stole more than $160,000 from the office over five years, according to court documents.

Trout, 52, of Glenolden, entered a guilty plea on Tuesday on charges of theft by unlawful taking and unlawful use of a computer, according to court documents. 

Theft by deception and receiving stolen property charges against Trout were dismissed, according to court documents. 

Montgomery County Senior Judge William T. Nicholas, who presided at Trout's hearing due to the recusal of Delaware County judges, said in court that her sentence could range from nine to 16 months at a minimum, according to the Delaware County News Network. 

Trout, a former 32-year county employee, was fired from her position in November 2012 when an investigation began and later revealed that Trout had been stealing cash from the Register of Wills since January 2007.

She would remove cash from files at the end of the work day or the following morning when she conducted the banking and would alter the transaction report to disguise her actions. She would also void completed transactions, take the cash, and then adjust reports so there would be no record of the theft.

The following are the approximate amounts Trout stole each year, according to the Delaware County News Network:

• $6,700 in 2007
• $8,956 in 2008
• $11,059 in 2009
• $22,617 in 2010
• $58,413 in 2011
• $52,783 in 2012
• $160,541 in total