Alleged Embezzler's Pension Could Get Frozen

The pension South Whitehall Utilities Supervisor Nancy Tonkin earned over 30 years could be frozen if she is judged guilty of , according to Township Manager Jon Hammer.

Hammer said the township would take steps permissable under law to stop the flow of money from Tonkin's pension.

Her husband, William, 69, a South Whitehall police officer from 1969 to 1996,was charged Wednesday with the same felonies.

Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin said there was some question under the law whether his police pension could be frozen.

"But that's a civil matter that's left up to the township," Martin said at a press conference on Tuesday.

None of the money has been recovered yet, Martin said.

"We will await restitution during the criminal process," he said.

Hammer said the township will try to recover the money from a civil lawsuit against the Tonkins and the township's insurance.

The township offered Tonkin a generous early retirement package in February 2012, according to the grand jury report. Tonkin, who was about to turn 65, declined it at the time, but was suspended about four months later as officials began to suspect her role in a missing batch of checks worth $37,000 and $4,536.39 in cash.

The Tonkins now sit in Lehigh County Prison waiting for their preliminary hearings.