A supervisor at a Pennsylvania county assistance office has been accused of stealing food benefits designated for low-income families and trading some of the cards for crack cocaine, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.
Sheila McDonald, 46, allegedly took more than $20,000 in benefits and swapped them for drugs and cash or used them at area stores. McDonald began working at the Lehigh County Assistance Office in January 2024 in the role of EBT Coordinator, responsible for securing Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards created and mailed by the office.
In that position, McDonald had access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients' personal information, including dates of birth and Social Security numbers.
In November 2025, the office notified Pennsylvania's Office of State Inspector General that a mailed EBT card never reached its intended recipient despite four unauthorized transactions being made on it. Prosecutors allege McDonald used the recipient's date of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security number to activate the card.
Surveillance video allegedly showed McDonald withdrawing $20 in cash with the card and making purchases at a convenience store and grocery store. Investigators also allege that the card was activated through a cell phone number McDonald used, and that the same number was used to activate or check the balance on other EBT cards.
According to investigators, a man reported that McDonald frequently gave him EBT cards along with their personal identification numbers instead of cash to purchase crack cocaine.
Authorities accuse McDonald of activating 48 EBT cards and using them more than 270 times, totaling $20,558.61 in stolen benefits. She faces felony charges including theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, access device fraud, criminal conspiracy, and receiving stolen property.
McDonald remains in custody and has not yet been arraigned. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has suspended her, revoked her system access, and issued replacement EBT cards to affected households.
