×
You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.
Director of Victims’ Rights Group Sent to Prison for Embezzlement
Loaded on Jan. 15, 2014
published in Prison Legal News
January, 2014, page 40
A Pennsylvania federal district court has sentenced a woman to two years in prison for stealing money from a victims’ rights organization she headed.
Filed under:
Contractor Misconduct,
Crime/Demographics,
Criminal Prosecution,
Victims.
Location:
Pennsylvania.
Between June 2006 and June 2008, Mary Beth Semerod, now 59, stole $205,883.52 from the Rape & Victim Assistance Center in Schuylkill County while she served …
Full article and associated cases available to subscribers.
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
More from this issue:
- American Apartheid: Why Scandinavian Prisons Are Superior, by Doran Larson
- Sweden’s Shrinking Prison Population, by Christopher Zoukis
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Mangaung and Beyond: Private Prison Exemplifies South Africa’s Criminal Justice Woes, by James Kilgore
- Hidden Agenda Fuels Challenge to Pivotal Death Penalty Case, by David Protess
- Seventh Circuit: Lifetime Supervision in Pornography Case Set Aside, by Derek Gilna
- Pennsylvania Woman Jailed for Failure to Pay Parking Tickets
- Controversy, Litigation and Performance Problems Plague Private Probation Services, by David Reutter
- Task Force Linked to Harsh Sentencing Laws and Private Prison Firms Disbands Following Public Scrutiny, Boycott
- East Mississippi Prison Nightmare, by Christopher Zoukis
- Massachusetts Supreme Court: 90 Days in Segregation on Awaiting Action Status without Hearing Violates Due Process
- Washington Defendant Improperly Denied Transcript at State Expense
- Programs Proliferate for Incarcerated Veterans
- Arizona TV Reporter Blames Prisoners for Citizens’ Lack of Healthcare
- Study: Risk of Murder, Overdose and Suicide Higher for Recently Released Jail Prisoners in New York City
- California Parole Board Agrees to Implement Policy to Fix Terms at Lifers’ Initial Hearings, by John Dannenberg
- How Actions by Oklahoma Governor’s Staff Led to Weakened State Justice Reforms, by Clifton Adcock
- Failure to Protect New Jersey Jail Detainee Leads to Drastic Bail Reduction
- Top Texas Judge Breaks the Law but Gets Special Treatment
- New York Prisoner Awarded Almost $16 Million Due to Poor Medical Treatment, by Christopher Zoukis
- Director of Victims’ Rights Group Sent to Prison for Embezzlement
- Study Finds Prisoners Inappropriately Using Topical Antibiotics, by David Reutter
- Connecticut Guards File Grievances over Efforts to Stem Super Bowl Absenteeism
- PLN Challenges Postcard-only Policy at Florida Jail
- Shareholder Resolutions Seek to Lower Phone Rates at Private Prisons
- Unwanted Reprieve from Execution Upheld by Oregon Supreme Court, by Christopher Zoukis
- Massachusetts Supreme Court: Failure to Register Guilty Plea Vacated
- No Immunity for Detainee’s Death Due to Alcohol Withdrawal; $1.23 Million Settlement on Remand
- Tenth Circuit: FRAP 4(b) Clock Commences Upon Entry in Public Docket
- FCC Rate Caps on Prison Phone Calls to Impact Nevada DOC’s Budget, by David Ganim
- SC Supreme Court Reverses Furtick; No Liberty Interest in Opportunity to Earn Sentence-Reduction Credits
- Religious Diet Qualified Immunity Test Outlined by Seventh Circuit
- Multiple Convictions, Single Proceeding Triggers Alaska Lifetime Sex Offender Registration
- Oregon: Life Sentence for Murder Unconstitutional During Eight-Month Period in 1999
- Seventh Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Prisoner's Law Library Access Claim, by Derek Gilna
- Ninth Circuit: Budgetary Constraints May Excuse Deliberate Indifference to Prisoner’s Serious Medical Needs; En Banc Review Granted
- Tenth Circuit Orders Foreseeability Jury Determination for Detention by New Mexico DOC Employees
- Ninth Circuit: No Summary Judgment on Claim of Excessive Use of Pepper Spray
- Oregon: Jury Trials Required When Prosecutors Treat Misdemeanors as Violations
- Res Judicata Doesn't Bar Ohio Post-release Control Challenge
- Hawaii: Incarceration is Good Cause for Failure to Appear; Bail Forfeiture Set Aside
- News in Brief
More from these topics:
- “Like the Walking Dead”: Smuggled Drugs Fuel Chaos Inside Ohio Prisons, May 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Guard Misconduct, Drug Overdose, Security Systems, Drugs - Determination of.
- NaphCare Pays $875,000 to Settle New York License Violations, Banned from State for Five Years, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Nevada Non-Profit Founder Under Investigation for Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Staff-Prisoner Harassment, Contractor Misconduct, Complaints, Restrictions, discrimination.
- Guaranteed Income Helps People Leaving Jail and Prison, and That Helps Everyone, May 1, 2026. Crime/Demographics, Prisoner Privileges, housing, jobs, Restrictions, discrimination, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Fines.
- Mississippi DOC Retains Law Firm to Monitor VitalCore Contract, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Dental Care, Private Contractors, Staffing.
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- Former Maine Prison Official Stole $2.4 Million Through Fraudulent Supply Orders, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Fraud and Deceit.
- ICE Taps New Contractor to Run Deadly Detention Center in Texas, April 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Totality of Conditions, Immigration Detention.
- Florida Sheriff Received $50,000 Donation from Jail Medical Contractor, March 1, 2026. Naphcare, Armor Correctional Health Services, Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors.
- Cuyahoga County Receives Over $846,000 Refund from Securus Technologies, Feb. 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Securus.

