Pennsylvania nonprofit's treasurer allegedly swindled over $200k to indulge in lavish lifestyle.
Michael Fantuzzo, 40, from Westmoreland County, stood accused of siphoning nearly $246,000 from the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association's (POTA) funds for personal indulgences. This revelation came to light after a financial review revealed suspicious transactions at the nonprofit, prompting an investigation that ultimately led to Fantuzzo's downfall.
According to authorities, between May 2021 and September 2025, Fantuzzo depleted the association's savings account using his own credit cards and one belonging to POTA. This brazen act of embezzlement was only uncovered when a newly elected board of directors inquired about the nonprofit's troubled finances. In response to their concerns, Fantuzzo allegedly confessed that he had drained the savings account for personal expenses.
Prosecutors claim that Fantuzzo used the association's funds to finance an extravagant lifestyle, including a family vacation to Disney World, a $7,000 vacation rental in North Carolina, and a country club membership. He also spent over $10,500 on installing a hot tub at his home, employed a limousine service costing more than $2,000, and paid off over $128,000 worth of personal debt using POTA's credit card.
To further conceal his illicit activities, Fantuzzo allegedly transferred funds directly to his wife's PayPal accounts. The POTA board expressed their outrage, stating that Fantuzzo had "deeply troubling" breached the trust placed in him by embezzling the association's financial resources.
Fantuzzo turned himself in to authorities on Friday and now faces charges of theft by deception and related offenses. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Maureen C. Coggins, who set his bail at $100,000. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for February 17.
Michael Fantuzzo, 40, from Westmoreland County, stood accused of siphoning nearly $246,000 from the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association's (POTA) funds for personal indulgences. This revelation came to light after a financial review revealed suspicious transactions at the nonprofit, prompting an investigation that ultimately led to Fantuzzo's downfall.
According to authorities, between May 2021 and September 2025, Fantuzzo depleted the association's savings account using his own credit cards and one belonging to POTA. This brazen act of embezzlement was only uncovered when a newly elected board of directors inquired about the nonprofit's troubled finances. In response to their concerns, Fantuzzo allegedly confessed that he had drained the savings account for personal expenses.
Prosecutors claim that Fantuzzo used the association's funds to finance an extravagant lifestyle, including a family vacation to Disney World, a $7,000 vacation rental in North Carolina, and a country club membership. He also spent over $10,500 on installing a hot tub at his home, employed a limousine service costing more than $2,000, and paid off over $128,000 worth of personal debt using POTA's credit card.
To further conceal his illicit activities, Fantuzzo allegedly transferred funds directly to his wife's PayPal accounts. The POTA board expressed their outrage, stating that Fantuzzo had "deeply troubling" breached the trust placed in him by embezzling the association's financial resources.
Fantuzzo turned himself in to authorities on Friday and now faces charges of theft by deception and related offenses. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Maureen C. Coggins, who set his bail at $100,000. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for February 17.
I was just talking to my aunt about this and she's saying how we used to have people who were really honest with their finances back in the day... no one would've thought of doing something like this. And now they're using Disney World as an example? It just goes to show that greed is a disease, you know? 
I'm not surprised, though - it's been happening more and more lately. Anyway, poor people who depend on those nonprofits are gonna be affected by this, so that's the real tragedy.
You can't take it with you, but you can spend it on a hot tub and a limo service 
! Looks like someone's definition of "treasurer" is more about lining his own pockets than taking care of the organization he was supposed to serve 
. Now he's facing serious charges and has a long road ahead of him. It's a shame, because there are people out there who genuinely care about helping others and using their skills for good 
.
He's supposed to be leading an org that helps people with disabilities and he's out there living it up like a celebrity 
. And on top of that, he's also hurting the people his org is supposed to help by draining their funds for personal expenses. That's just not right 
. I'm glad the new board caught wind of something fishy going on and brought this to light, but at the same time, it's really sad that someone in a position of trust would do something so reckless and selfish 
.
michael fantuzzo is literally the most sus person ever he took over $200k from a nonprofit org and used it to fund his own lavish lifestyle lol like who does that?! 
he even spent money on a hot tub at home 
and hired a limo service 
idk how much more ridiculous things can get. the fact that he transferred funds to his wife's paypal accounts 2 cover his tracks is just icing on the cake 
the board of directors gotta be literally livid rn