Former fire chief now accused of stealing over $290K from cemetery association
By Raquel Ciampi
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SOUTH GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — The former chief of a fire department in Westmoreland County allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a cemetery.
Matthew White, former chief of the South Greensburg Fire Department, is already accused of stealing $178,000 from his own department prior to the cemetery allegations.
According to a criminal complaint, White was the superintendent of the St. Clair Cemetery Association and lived on the grounds in Hempfield Township for 10 years.
In addition to living on the grounds for free, White was also able to use a vehicle owned by the cemetery association.
During his time as superintendent, White was in charge of payroll, groundskeeping, meetings with potential clients and would oversee up to six employees.
The complaint said in the beginning of 2026, an audit was performed after over $250,000 in unpaid tax withholdings to the IRS for employer taxes was discovered.
The audit found checks made payable to White that were entered into the system but later deleted, the report states.
Those checks totaled over $138,000.
White also allegedly overpaid himself from 2022-2025. That money was allegedly over $54,000 higher than his salary.
The complaint goes on to say he also paid himself more than $98,000 in commission than he was entitled to receive.
It’s alleged, in total, White stole over $290,000 from the St. Clair Cemetery.
White is already facing charges for allegedly stealing from his own department where he was fire chief.
A criminal complaint said White had purchased “donations” using the station’s bank account. Police said White then transferred those funds to his personal bank account.
The complaint alleges that from 2023 to now, White stole roughly $178,000.
The Westmoreland County district attorney’s office said Matthew White was in custody in South Carolina in February.
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