The City Manager for DuBois and Executive Director of the DuBois Area United Way, John “Herm” Suplizio, was arrested on charges related to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from public accounts.
Suplizio, 62, of Clearfield County, allegedly committed $620,815 in fraudulent transactions, using funds from city bank accounts and the Dubois Area United Way account to pay his personal credit card bills, make political donations, and gamble. The majority of the funds came from accounts for Community Days, an annual summer event presented by the DuBois Volunteer Fire Department, for which Suplizio and his secretary were the sole signatories.
“Suplizio was a trusted public official who should have been acting in the best interests of his community,” said PA Attorney General Michelle Henry. “Instead, he betrayed that trust by stealing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for his own personal use. This egregious violation of the trust Pennsylvanians put in their officials is disgraceful. Today’s arrest is a reminder that no one is above the law, and that everyone who holds public office in Pennsylvania is accountable to the people.”
A Grand Jury investigation found that, in addition to the fraud, Suplizio used his position as City Manager to enter into contracts with businesses for which he received personal benefits. From 2014-2021, Suplizio also provided false information on his tax returns, paying for numerous charges with public money and claiming those charges as unreimbursed expenses on his taxes.
Suplizio was charged with five counts of Theft by Unlawful Taking; one count of Conflict of Interest; one count of Misapplication of Entrusted Property; and eight counts of Fraudulent Return.
