Ex-director charged in kids mental-health facility theft

    Federal prosecutors say a Delaware woman has been charged with embezzling more than $600,000 in public money from a mental-health treatment facility in Philadelphia that helps children with trauma and behavioral disorders.

    Federal prosecutors say Sonja McQuillar was the former director of health and information management at Northern Children’s Services.

    Authorities say she issued checks through her job to family, friends and agency contractors for work they never performed and forged signatures to cash the checks and take the money.

    Officials say the thefts happened from December 2002 to April 2014.

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    The New Castle, Delaware woman is charged with theft from a program that received federal funds and making a material false statement.

    McQuillar couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. It wasn’t immediately clear if she has an attorney.

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