June 12, 2007

Attorney General Corbett charges two former Lycoming County Drug Task Force members with using their positions for personal gain

WILLIAMSPORT - Attorney General Tom Corbett today announced that agents from the Attorney General's Public Corruption Unit have filed criminal charges against two former members of the Lycoming County Drug Task Force accused of using their public positions to falsify the purchase of forfeited vehicles, illegally obtain drug task force money and take drug task force property for personal financial gain.

Corbett identified the defendants as Thomas Ungard, Jr., former coordinator of the drug task force, 42, 833 Third Ave., Williamsport and Dustin Kreitz, former assistant coordinator of the drug task force, 37, 1835 Lincoln Ave., Montoursville.  Ungard and Kreitz were also officers with the Williamsport Police Department.

Corbett said the Attorney General's investigation was launched in July 2006, following a referral from the Lycoming County District Attorney's office concerning allegations that Ungard used a pickup truck seized from a convicted drug dealer for a private fishing trip to Canada.

Evidence and testimony about the improper use of task force assets was presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended the criminal charges being filed today. 

Corbett noted that on March 1, 2007, the Attorney General's Office took over control of the Lycoming County Drug Task Force.

According to the grand jury, Ungard had authority over all daily decision making for the drug task force, including the determination of what property would be seized and forfeited, whether property would be kept by the task force or sold, who the property would go to and the price of the sale.

The grand jury found that Ungard falsified the purchase of a 1993 Pontiac Grand Am and a 1996 Chevy Lumina by using straw purchasers, who acted as the legal purchasers of the forfeited vehicles in order to hide Ungard's actual identity as the buyer.  The straw purchasers never actually possessed the vehicles or provided any money in the transaction.

Corbett said that in addition to the two cars, Ungard also allegedly sold two forfeited Yamaha All-Terrain Vehicles, a mini-bike, a forfeited Pontiac Bonneville, and a forfeited Isuzu Rodeo to his relatives. 

During his tenure as coordinator of the task force, the grand jury determined that 43 vehicles were seized and forfeited. Eight of these vehicles ended up as the property of Ungard or his family members.

The grand jury found that Ungard failed to properly deliver funds from the sale of forfeited vehicles or donations and on numerous occasions he held and maintained those funds for personal benefit.  In one instance, Ungard sold exercise equipment, which was owned by the drug task force, for $1,300, cashed the check and allegedly failed to deliver the money to the District Attorney's office or to drug task force accounts.

Corbett said that as agents pursued their investigation of Ungard, Dustin Kreitz was interviewed on several occasions about his knowledge of large amounts of cash found in the drug task force safe and his knowledge of property and cash taken from the drug task force. 

In March 2007, agents questioned Kreitz as to whether he had ever taken a large television or borrowed money from the drug task force cash accounts.  Within hours, Kreitz allegedly contacted his estranged girlfriend about the questions agents were asking him. 

Corbett said that in telephone calls monitored by agents from the Public Corruption Unit, Kreitz allegedly appeared extremely interested in the questions agents asked his former girlfriend.  Kreitz seemed especially interested after he learned she had spoken to them about money that had been taken from drug task force accounts.   Kreitz allegedly told her to "tell them you were wrong.tell them you exaggerated."

The grand jury determined that during the telephone calls, Kreitz instructed her about how to answer questions and described what she should tell investigators about the use or possession of forfeited property, the use of forfeited vehicles, and other topics that were the subject of the investigation.

During the course of the investigation, agents attempted to obtain drug task force records and it was discovered that all records prior to January 2006 had allegedly been destroyed by Ungard. The destroyed records were the only complete copies and included information for cases that were still under investigation and prosecution.

The grand jury states that shortly before the records disappeared, Ungard and Kreitz discussed the records and decided that they should be destroyed.  Kreitz allegedly told investigators that he did not see Ungard destroy or remove the records, but changed his story several times as to when the records disappeared. 

 "As public officials we have a duty to protect the citizens of Pennsylvania. When an official breaks the public's trust for personal gain it is extremely disappointing," Corbett said. "Nobody is above the law in Pennsylvania, even law enforcement."

Ungard is charged with five counts of tampering with public records or information, four counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of conflict of interest and one count of obstructing administration of law or other governmental function.

 Kreitz is charged with two counts of obstructing administration of law or other governmental function, one count of tampering with public records or information, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of hindering apprehension or prosecution, one count of perjury and one count of conflict of interest. 

Corbett thanked the Lycoming County District Attorney's office and the Williamsport Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.

The case will be prosecuted in Lycoming County by Deputy Attorney General James Reeder of the Attorney General's Public Corruption Unit.

(A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.)

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