HARRISBURG, PA — An Allegheny County judge convicted a former Pittsburgh Mercy employee Tuesday of diverting charity tickets intended for children, sentencing her to probation and ordering more than $57,000 in restitution to Tickets for Kids.
Ramona Wilkes, 65, was found guilty of corrupt organizations, criminal conspiracy, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, deceptive business practices and criminal use of a communication facility, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. All six counts are felonies.
Wilkes received five years of probation, including one year of house arrest, and was ordered to pay $57,346.65 to Tickets for Kids, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that distributes tickets for concerts, sporting events and other activities to children.
Prosecutors stated that Wilkes used her position at Pittsburgh Mercy to obtain tickets that were supposed to be distributed to children served by the organization.
Instead, Wilkes kept the tickets for herself and other participants in the scheme to resell for profit or use personally, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
“Instead of helping fulfill that mission, this defendant exploited it for personal gain,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. He added that the restitution would help Tickets for Kids continue serving children.
The Office of Attorney General’s Organized Crime Section prosecuted the case.
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