GREENSBURG, Pa. — Brenda Sawyer, the former Regional Director of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Region 5 Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, was arrested on September 5, 2024, after an investigation uncovered significant financial misconduct, according to the Westmoreland County Detective Bureau.
The investigation began in April 2024 when the PA Office of Attorney General alerted County Detectives to missing funds that surfaced after Sawyer’s retirement in February 2024. Upon transitioning into her role, Sawyer had reportedly been in possession of $26,000 in agency funds intended for undercover narcotics operations. When questioned about the missing money, Sawyer claimed she may have lost or misplaced the funds and offered to cover the loss using her personal account.
A subsequent audit revealed a deeper trail of financial discrepancies, including transactions linking Sawyer’s personal accounts to the missing funds. Detectives uncovered that, between January 2019 and February 2024, 33 checks totaling $21,973.25 were issued to Sawyer from the Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, alongside another 25 checks totaling $23,959 from the Strategic Response Team’s checking account. Additionally, $75,778 was allegedly stolen from eight evidence envelopes containing asset forfeiture funds.
Sawyer, who also served as director of the Community Violence Fund program for the McKeesport Chapter of the NAACP, is accused of forging the signature of the chapter’s treasurer to create a fraudulent account, from which she withdrew approximately $52,650 between 2019 and 2024.
Sawyer has been formally charged with dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, forgery, theft, obstruction, and tampering with evidence. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli praised the thorough work of County Detective Ray Dupilka, stating, “No one is above the law and we will hold those accountable who feel emboldened to abuse their power and position of trust.”
