Becks Run Firemen Will Face Non-Jury Trial

A pretrial conference on Friday for Leonard "Len" Novak and Stephen Bonetti has resulted in a non-jury trial for the two men. The trial is scheduled to begin on April 22 at the Allegheny County Courthouse.

In August, the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office charged Novak and Bonetti, chief and deputy chief, respectively, of the Becks Run Volunteer Fire Department in north Baldwin Borough, with misusing approximately $25,000 from the Pennsylvania firemen's relief fund over an approximately five-year period.

According to an affidavit, investigators believe that Novak and Bonetti misappropriated the money by using it instead for personal expenses, including the cashing of checks at C.J. Chugs bar on Custer Avenue and Dean's Beer Distributors on Joseph Street.

Novak is charged with three counts of theft by deception; one count of receiving stolen property; two counts of unlawful use of a computer; one count of criminal conspiracy; two counts of forgery; three counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence; two counts of theft by failure to make a required disposition of funds received; and three counts of tampering with records or identification.

Bonetti is charged with two counts of theft by deception; one count of criminal conspiracy; one count of misapplication of entrusted property and property of government or financial institutions; two counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence; and one count of obstructing administration of law or other government function.

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