Brentwood Woman Arrested for Charity Fraud in Whitehall

A Pattern of Fraud

Something seemed strange when Amanda Krull came to a home in the 700 block of 's Dunn Drive on Wednesday night. As it turned out, something was.

Krull, 22, of 59 Pearl Dr. in neighboring Brentwood Borough, visited the home at around 6:30 that night to ask for donations for an epilepsy research fundraising walk in Washington, DC, from May 1-3.

A woman from nearby Greenlee Road, who was at her father's Dunn Drive home at the time, spoke to Krull and gave her $20, but when the daughter did some research the next morning about the 2012 National Walk for Epilepsy—which was actually completed in March—she called the to report the fraud.

Krull was soon after arrested by constables working for District Magistrate David J. Barton and charged by Whitehall police with one count each of theft by deception, prohibited acts in charitable solicitation and soliciting without a permit.

The daughter called police at around 8 on Thursday morning to report the incident. Krull used her real name, Whitehall police Deputy Chief Richard M. Danko said, and even provided a Carlow University identification card while soliciting.

And when presented with a lineup of suspects, the daughter identified Krull as the culprit.

Danko said that Krull has been arrested numerous times for similar acts since 2009, most recently by Brentwood Borough police on March 24.

Other agencies that have arrested Krull include the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and police departments in Bethel Park, Green Tree, Pleasant Hills, Mt. Lebanon and Castle Shannon. 

The daughter who contacted Whitehall police said that Krull did not have documentation from the epilepsy walk with her when she came to Dunn Drive, which is one of the things that she found to be suspicious. Krull did have a list of other people's names, though, and donations that she had recently received from those people, the daughter told police.

Whitehall police have released a photo of Krull (above). If you had a similar experience with Krull, you are asked to call your local police department. Whitehall police can be reached at 412-884-1100.

Cash Stolen from Remnant City

Whitehall police received a call from one of the owners of Remnant City on Route 51 at around 9:35 a.m. on Thursday reporting that the carpet store had been broken into overnight.

Police arrived at the scene and determined that there was no forced entry. However, approximately $300 had been stolen from a secret area in the store along with the previous day's business receipts. Money in the store's cash register was undisturbed.

The Allegheny County Crime Lab has processed the scene, and Whitehall police are investigating the incident.

Read through other Whitehall police items here.

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