Judge delays trial of former MIU director
MERCER, Mercer County — A Mercer County judge bumped back court dates for the former Midwestern Intermediate Unit 4 executive director to see if a federal agency will take over prosecuting her for allegedly misusing credit cards.
Cecilia H. Yauger, 56, of Grove City is accused of charging $72,465 in personal items on a credit card meant only for work-related expenses between August 2007 and April 2013 while she was the agency’s executive director.
The Mercer County District Attorney has charges of felony theft and unauthorized use of an access device pending against Yauger.
But last month, Mercer County Judge Thomas Dobson delayed a potential trial from May to July 15 because it is believed “the appropriate agency will make the determination on whether the federal government will assume jurisdiction by May of this year” states a written order.
Yauger’s attorney Eugene Tempesta of Cranberry Township said he is not aware of a federal investigation, and he did not have immediate access to Dobson’s order. Tempesta said the trial date was delayed as “something that was agreed on between the district attorney and I because I needed more time to develop my case.”
But noting that federal prosecutors have more resources, Mercer County District Attorney Robert Kochems said his office is aware of the federal investigation and it “wants to find out what their (federal prosecutors) position will be before we continue here (at the county level).”
To date, no charges have been filed by the U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh, which declined to comment.
Wayde Killmeyer, who replaced Yauger as executive director, said federal investigators were speaking with MIU staff as recently as five weeks ago. Killmeyer said he was not interviewed because the investigators were interested in talking only to people who worked at the same time as Yauger.
Although no one could say definitively why federal prosecutors might be interested, some speculated that it was because the MIU has numerous programs that are federally funded, including some related to special education in all three counties it serves: Butler, Lawrence and Mercer.
However, Killmeyer said the MIU’s business office already reviewed the alleged misuse of funds and determined, “no federal money was misappropriated by my predecessor.”
MIU is one of 29 regional education agencies under the state Department of Education that provides educational support services to school districts.
In Butler County, it serves Butler, Karns City, Mars, Moniteau, Seneca Valley, Slippery Rock and South Butler school districts and the Butler Area Vocational-Technical School.
MIU 4 is based in Grove City.
Yauger, who resigned her $124,840-a-year position amid the allegations last April, is free on a $10,000 unsecured bond pending the trial in Mercer.
