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Crime & Safety

Limo Driver Takes Boss For a Ride, Police Say

Bethlehem man charged with forgery, theft by deception and receiving stolen property from business near Palmer Township border.

A limousine driver is accused of taking advantage of his boss for about $850 while the boss, whose business is on the Palmer Township border with Bethlehem Township, traveled for two weeks out of the country in September.

Court records say the driver, Anthony Alexander, 26, of Bethlehem cashed without authorization one of seven checks the boss had entrusted with Alexander while the suspect drove the boss to JFK International Airport in New York.

Alexander is accused of making the check payable to himself and filling in the amount -- $360.

Police later learned Alexander had a man he knows cash the check. The man, who also knows Alexander’s mother, told police he had no idea the check was “stolen.”

The boss, Thomas Pfeiffer, owner of Valley Limousine Service, had pre-signed the checks but had not filled in any names or amounts, the records say.

Pfeiffer runs the business out of his home on the 2300 block of Esquire Drive in the township, according to the records.

Alexander is also accused of cashing a voided paycheck for $490.78 – the amount he earned every two weeks. Pfeiffer told police he had given Alexander the voided check so that Alexander would have it for his records.

Pfeiffer also told police that when he asked Alexander why he cashed the voided check, Alexander told him, “because I needed the money.” Pfeiffer said Alexander did not reply when Pfeiffer asked him about cashing the other check.

Pfeiffer said he made sure Alexander would be paid while Pfeiffer was out of the country. He told police he already paid Alexander $250 and had arranged for another employee to pay him the remaining $240.78 of his salary.

A criminal complaint, filed by township Patrolman Anthony Stevens, shows that police were still investigating the case in late November and filed the complaint on Dec. 18.

Alexander, of 1763 Chester Road in the city, was arraigned Wednesday by District Judge Jackie Taschner of Palmer Township on charges of forgery, theft by deception and receiving stolen property.

He was committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail.

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