Nov. 4—FLINTSTONE, Md. — Conversations about an online romance "scam," a house fire and stolen money are part of a police investigation that led to criminal charges in Allegany County.
According to documents filed in District Court for Allegany County, Patricia Leitzen, 77, was treasurer of the Flintstone Volunteer Fire Department's Ladies Auxiliary for 35 years.
She resigned from the position in August after being questioned about missing funds. Leitzen faces misdemeanor counts of embezzlement and felony theft scheme, charges that could carry penalties of five years in prison and/or $10,000 in fines.
Leitzen could not be reached for comment Thursday. Court records indicate she does not have an attorney, and a phone number listed for her is not in service.
"We want the community to know, as soon as the discrepancy was noted, department officials immediately began investigating internally, subsequently turning the investigation over to the Allegany County Sheriff's Department. We will fully cooperate with their investigation of this matter," Flintstone Volunteer Fire Department President Steve Moyer said in a statement.
The department's full statement is posted with this story on times-news.com.
A preliminary inquiry hearing for Leitzen is set for 1 p.m. Nov. 30 in district court.
While the sheriff's office started the investigation, it was transferred to the Allegany County Combined Criminal Investigation Unit.
The fire
The fire department's ladies auxiliary said that on May 5, Leitzen "got pre-planned back surgery, however, while Patricia was in the hospital, her house unexpectedly caught fire causing damage to the residence," according to the court charging documents.
"The 5:30 a.m. blaze reportedly broke out in a bedroom of the single story residence owned by Patricia Leitzen and occupied by Cheryl Ward," the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office reported a couple of days after the fire.
Ward was able to retrieve a dog as she exited the burning structure but three cats died, according to the fire marshal's office. The fire caused an estimated $15,000 damage and was brought under control in about 15 minutes by Flintstone and other assisting volunteer firefighters from Allegany and Mineral counties, the fire marshal's office said.
On Thursday, the Cumberland Times-News reached out to Ward, who is Leitzen's daughter, via social media direct message. She responded "no comment."
The court documents state that Ward was in the house the morning of the fire because she planned to stay with her mother after the surgery.
It also states that Leitzen later told auxiliary members to order more checks for the organization because the old checks burned in the fire.
The money
Court documents state Leitzen, at a July auxiliary meeting, reported the group had nearly $14,000 in its bank account, "which included money from a recent hoagie sale."
Shortly after the meeting, Leitzen contacted members "who had not paid for their hoagies and requested payment because she needed the money to pay bills," documents state.
"As a result, the members became concerned" because Leitzen had reported the organization's account had ample money to cover expenses.
One of the members then reviewed a bank account that showed "approximately $13,000 that was believed to be stolen by (Leitzen) through checks she wrote to herself along with unauthorized cash withdrawals."
Per the auxiliary's practice, Leitzen was required to get a second signature on checks.
It was common for her to take multiple checks to Mary Teter, auxiliary vice president, according to the documents.
"Due to (Leitzen's) longstanding as treasurer" Teter didn't question what the checks were for and "she would sign them," documents state.
On Aug. 1, auxiliary members confronted Leitzen about the missing money.
At that time, Leitzen told them she took the money "to pay her own bills and for her house repairs," according to the documents. She told them she hurt, deceived and "did them wrong."
The members allege the money was stolen before the house fire.
Leitzen also admitted to "acting alone in taking the money," documents state.
She reportedly offered to pay back $400 per month, which the organization rejected.
According to the documents, Leitzen agreed to speak to police "without an attorney" and allow the interview to be recorded.
"Leitzen admitted to taking the money from the auxiliary and estimated the theft at approximately $14,000," the documents state.
The 'scam'
"Teter advised (in December 2021 that Leitzen) told her about a man she met online who was in the military and currently in Germany, but he was trying to come back to the United States," court documents state. Teter told Leitzen "it was a scam," and the two didn't discuss it further.
Ward reportedly told C3I that Leitzen "indicated she has fallen for a subject who allegedly resides in Germany (and) has been sending money to this subject in the form of gift cards."
A Facebook search for Patricia Leitzen in Maryland on Thursday led to a page for a "Nelson West" with Nepali used as the language.
Earlier posts on the page appear to have been made by Leitzen and include photos of her cats that reportedly died in the house fire.
On Sept. 4, the profile picture was updated to show a man and a dog, with subsequent photos of him in various locations.
Prior photos on the page are of cats and ornate crocheted hats.
While no other public information that links Leitzen to "Nelson West" could be found Thursday, the Facebook Help Center stated:
"Romance scammers typically send romantic messages to people they don't know, often pretending to be divorced, widowed or in a bad marriage. To pay for things like flights or visas, they'll engage in online relationships in hopes of receiving money. They may use photos they've found online of representatives from official institutions like the military or government agencies. Their goal is to gain your trust, so the conversations may continue for weeks before they ask for money."
Teresa McMinn is the Digital Editor for the Cumberland Times-News. She can be reached at 304-639-2371 or [email protected].
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