Falls Public Works director accused of making nearly $10K in purchases with township money

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office has accused Falls Township's Public Works director of using taxpayer money to buy more than $9,000 in car parts and home improvement supplies and equipment for his personal use earlier this year.

Jason Lawson, 52, of Fairless Hills, was arraigned Wednesday before District Judge Christopher O'Neill on five felonies including theft, forgery and receiving stolen property and a misdemeanor charge of records tampering, He was released on unsecured bail.

In an email Wednesday, Falls Township spokeswoman Theresa Katalinas stated that Lawson was placed on a paid administrative leave May 3 while the Bucks County Detectives investigation was conducted.

Lawson, who earned $106,090 this year, was placed on an unpaid administrative leave effective Wednesday, Katalinas said.

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County detectives opened an investigation in late March into allegations that Lawson used a Falls Township credit card and a township check to pay for items at a Home Depot and Middletown car dealership, then falsified records to make the purchases appear legitimate, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Falls Township provided county detectives with records showing Lawson made 20 purchases at a Home Depot using his township-issued credit card between March 1 and March 20 totaling more than $5,700.

The purchases included several ladders, lattice, LED lighting, plumbing equipment, circuit breakers, wiring, smoke alarms, and power tools, 30 balusters and a backhoe rental, which Lawson allegedly used his personal address for the rental and baluster order, the affidavit said.

The affidavit stated that Lawson is involved in various business ventures including flipping homes in Lower Bucks County, and many of the items purchased at the Home Depot were consistent with home renovation projects.

Later in March Lawson allegedly used a township check for $3,788 to pay for fuel injectors and two other "legitimate" township purchases, the affidavit said.

The Falls invoice that Lawson filed with the township documenting the purchase indicated the fuel injectors were to be installed on a Falls Township highway truck, authorities said. But the order number on the invoice included VIN numbers that matched Lawson's personal vehicle, a 2009 Ford F550, the affidavit said.

The subsequent police investigation located the fuel injectors in a storage trailer used by Falls Township Public Works Department. The parts were never installed on a Falls-owned truck and no work order related to fuel injectors was placed around the time the parts were ordered, the affidavit said.

To conceal his thefts, authorities allege Lawson provided the township's finance department with false authorization and reasons for the Home Depot transactions so the expense could be properly recorded for accounting purposes.

The affidavit does not explain how the the township discovered the alleged misappropriation of funds.

Falls officials have been cooperating with the DA since allegations of potential wrongdoing were brought to its attention in May, Katalinas said.

Lawson previously was the Public Works director in Bristol Township before leaving to work in Falls in 2016, where he oversaw a staff of 19 employees.

“As Mr. Lawson is an employee of Falls Township, we can provide no further comment on this personnel matter,” Katalinas said.

Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Falls Public Works director accused of making nearly $10K in purchases with township money