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Former sub shop owner to face charges in court

Police: Groups with fundraising agreements didn’t receive money

A former sandwich shop owner is slated to appear in court today for a hearing on charges that he sold groups fundraising tickets and kept all the money.

Christopher J. McDonnell, 53, of Duncansville, the former owner of Big Mouth Subs, formerly located at 2736 Plank Road, is accused of keeping proceeds from fundraising ticket sales and then closing his shop.

Two groups told Allegheny Township police they had entered into fundraising agreements with McDonnell where he supplied them with tickets for $6 each that were to be sold for $8. Police contend that the arrangements were made in the spring of 2016, in March and April, and that McDonnell collected money from the two groups but never turned over any money to them out of the proceeds. By June the sandwich shop was closed, leaving the groups and the people they sold to with worthless tickets.

After a complaint from someone who bought four of the tickets and found out the sub shop had closed, police contacted one of the parties in July and were told McDonnell had been paid $2,352 after he supplied the party with 490 tickets. The fundraising party had 215 tickets left but had stopped selling them.

Another party bought 150 tickets from McDonnell in April and had paid $900 to Big Mouth Subs. The group still had 71 tickets that couldn’t be sold and contacted police in August about the matter.

Neither party was contacted by McDonnell about the shop closing or the fundraising events after they paid for the tickets, police said.

No lawyer or phone number is listed for McDonnell, who remains free on a unsecured $10,000 bond. His preliminary hearing before Judge Jackson is scheduled for today. McDonnell is being charged with felony theft by deception and felony receiving stolen property.

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