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News Nearby: Woman Who Embezzled $10.2 Million Sentenced to Six Years in Prison

Patricia K. Smith used the money she stole from Baierl Acura in Pine to fund a lavish lifestyle.

After living an extravagant lifestyle that included multiple homes, exotic trips and gifts lavished on family members, Patricia K. Smith will spend the next six and a half years behind bars.  Senior United States District Judge Gustave Diamond on Wednesday sentenced Smith, of Cranberry, to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In addition, Smith was ordered to forfeit her homes and numerous items of personal property to the government and to pay restitution of more than $10.3 million. Formerly the controller of the Baierl Acura car dealership in Pine, Smith, 58, pleaded guilty in January to one count of wire fraud According to court documents, the married mother of three grown children and grandmother to three …

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Former Controller at Baierl Acura Admits to Embezzlement

Patricia K. Smith of Cranberry Township pleads guilty in federal court.

The former controller of the Baierl Acuradealership pleaded guilty in federal court today to a charge of wire fraud in a $10.2 million embezzlement case, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced. Patricia K. Smith, 57, of Cranberry Township, waived prosecution by indictment and entered a plea of guilty to one count of wire fraud beforeSenior United States District Judge Gustave Diamond, according to a press release from Hickton's office. In relation to the guilty plea, the court was advised that from Dec. 2004 until July 28, 2011, Smith embezzled more than $10 million from her employer, Baierl Acura of Wexford. The money paid for Smith's extravagant lifestyle. Diamond scheduled sentencing for 10 a.m. May 9. The law provides for a …