Ex-Tax Collector Admits To Stealing More Than $1M

CENTER, Pa. (AP) – The former longtime tax collector for a western Pennsylvania town has admitted stealing more than $1 million in funds dating back to 2011. Jeanne Bowser, of Center Township, pleaded guilty Thursday to wire fraud and filing a false tax report after waiving indictment by grand jury. She faces a lengthy prison term when she’s sentenced Sept. 28 and will also have to pay $1,028,000 in restitution and $275,000 for the taxes she didn’t pay on the stolen funds. Bowser had collected taxes for Center and the Central Valley School District for several decades before resigning in 2019 after an audit.