A former PennDOT employee from Northeast Pennsylvania embezzled more than $33,000 from the state Department of Transportation over a two-year period, Attorney General Dave Sunday said.
Tracy Touzalin, 55, of Dingmans Ferry, overcharged her department-issued credit card between 2023 and 2025 while employed as a PennDOT roadway programs technician in Pike County, Sunday said in a release.
Touzalin was charged with felony theft by deception and three related felonies.
Investigators said Touzalin created fraudulent purchase orders, charged them to her PennDOT-issued purchase order card and pocketed the overcharged amounts.
Between June 2023 and March 2025, Touzalin allegedly charged $57,920 to PennDOT for “janitorial services,” of which $24,470 was actually paid to cleaners. She deposited the difference of $33,450 into her personal bank account, investigators said.
“This defendant was entrusted with taxpayer dollars that should have supported much-needed infrastructure projects, but instead went into her personal bank account,” Sunday said. “This conduct is criminal theft and a betrayal of the public she was hired to serve.”
The case was referred from the state's Office of General Counsel to the Attorney General's office, where it is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Andrew Biggins.
Dunmore-based defense attorney Joseph R. D'Andrea said he declined to make "a general statement" on behalf of Touzalin when reached Thursday morning.
"Nobody enjoys being arrested. It's been a stressful time," D'Andrea said, adding that Touzalin "is a strong person" and that he is prepared to represent her as the legal process proceeds.
Court records show a preliminary hearing and arraignment for Touzalin were held Wednesday morning in Harrisburg. She was released on her own recognizance pending a formal arraignment, currently set for Oct. 2 in Dauphin County Court.
