ALTOONA, Pa, (WTAJ) — A Hollidaysburg man is facing charges after being accused of taking more than $380,000 from an Altoona law firm for various reasons, including a wedding and honeymoon.
Adam Bush, 41, is currently facing half a dozen felony charges in connection to the embezzlement that reportedly started back in 2019.
Adam Bush, 41, (Photo: Altoona Police Department on Facebook)
According to the criminal complaint, Bush began writing checks to himself shortly after one of the partners at the firm retired in 2018, allegedly forging that partner’s name on the checks. Bush reportedly claimed later that he also forged another partner’s name because they were the two easiest to copy.
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The current partners in the firm reportedly started to notice monetary issues when they discovered a bill on Sept. 12 that was supposed to have been closed back in April that had a balance of around $29,000. They told police transactions that showed numerous cash advances and card usage that were not authorized.
They told police when they asked Bush about the money, he tried to tell them it was used to cover payroll, which they said didn’t make sense. According to the complaint, they told police that Bush soon said he “messed up and will fix everything.”
The duo told police they started going through other bank records and started noticing 62 different checks were cashed that they didn’t approve of totaling $273,173.26 and a closer look at the original account that was supposed to be closed had 187 unauthorized advances totaling $98,560.50. There’s also another $10,558.20 in interest and statement fees.
Altogether, Bush was accused of embezzling and using $382,279.04 between May 2019 and Sept. 2022.
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When questioned, Bush allegedly told police he used the money to pay bills, citing multiple mortgages, multiple kids, and child support.
Police went on to note in the criminal complaint that they believe he used money from the law firm to buy and renovate a new house as well as pay for a wedding and honeymoon.
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Bush was arranged Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 2 on for forgery, identity theft and other related charges. He was released on an unsecured $100,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 30
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