PHILADELPHIA – After joint investigations by the City of Philadelphia Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, two brothers, Leo and Paul Dignam, both former City of Philadelphia officials, were charged with fraud and embezzlement, and a third former City contractor employee, Barbara Conway, was also charged with theft.

Leo Dignam, 61, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged with two counts of wire fraud and one count of embezzling from a program receiving federal funds. Leo’s brother, Paul Dignam, 58, also of Philadelphia, was charged with one count of mail fraud and one count of embezzling from a program receiving federal funds. Barbara Conway, 61, of Drexel Hill, PA, was charged with one count of theft of funds from a program receiving federal funds. At the time of the charged offenses, Leo and Paul Dignam were officials with the City of Philadelphia, and Conway was the Food Voucher Coordinator for the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (PHMC), an agency contracted by the City to manage the Food Voucher Program.

From 2012 through 2019, Leo Dignam allegedly engaged in a scheme to defraud the City of Philadelphia approximately $150,000 by misusing bank accounts he controlled that were meant to support the activities of the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and the non-profit organization, the Junior Baseball Federation. During this time, Paul Dignam also misused a PPR-affiliated bank account by repeatedly writing fraudulent checks to himself. In sum, Paul Dignam defrauded the City approximately $119,000.

Beginning in 2015 through 2019, Barbara Conway, stole more than $39,000 worth of food vouchers intended for HIV/ADIS patients receiving services through the federally funded program that provides grants to states, cities, counties, and other local organizations to fund care and treatment services for individuals living with the disease.

“Anyone who misdirects funds away from our local community and into their own pockets will be held accountable to the fullest extent. The City of Philadelphia will not tolerate misappropriation,” said City of Philadelphia Inspector General Alexander DeSantis.

The cases are being prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of PA.

About the Office of the Inspector General
The mission of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is to enhance public confidence in the integrity of City government by rooting out corruption, fraud, misconduct, waste and mismanagement. For more information, visit: www.phila.gov/ig.