Jeslie Ann Sanjurjo-Lopez, 30, of New Britain, Connecticut, has been charged with Theft by Unlawful Taking, Receiving Stolen Property, and Conspiracy to Commit Theft, all third-degree felonies. The charges were filed by West Mahanoy Township Police through the office of Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, police began investigating on April 24, 2025, after Gina Mays, President of the Shenandoah Heights Fire Company No. 1 Social Club, reported a suspicious withdrawal from the organization’s business checking account. Mays told police she had recently submitted financial documents to an accountant, who then discovered that a check, in the amount of $9,641, had been fraudulently issued to Sanjurjo-Lopez and deposited into a personal account at American Eagle Credit Union in East Hartford, Connecticut.
The check, dated September 28, 2024, was deposited via mobile deposit on October 2, 2024, without Sanjurjo-Lopez ever entering the bank, authorities said. The check bore forged signatures from Mays and another club representative, Nicole Bonkowski.
Through investigative efforts, police were able to contact Sanjurjo-Lopez by phone on May 1, 2025. In a recorded statement, she admitted to participating in the scheme. She said a friend, Kevin Tirado, also of New Britain, approached her in October 2024 with an offer to “make some money.” She provided Tirado with her mobile banking information, and the fraudulent check was subsequently deposited into her account.
Sanjurjo-Lopez told police that once $5,000 from the check cleared, she met with Tirado and another unidentified man from New York at an American Eagle branch, where she withdrew the funds. She claimed she kept approximately $1,300 to cover household expenses and gave the remaining $3,700 in cash to Tirado and his associate. The defendant also said she attempted, unsuccessfully, to transfer the rest of the money — about $4,641 — to the unidentified man.
Days later, she said her credit union informed her that her account was overdrawn by nearly $9,000 and had been closed.
Despite admitting to knowing her actions were illegal, Sanjurjo-Lopez claimed she had never been to Pennsylvania and did not know anyone affiliated with the Heights Fire Company. She also denied physically endorsing the check.
As of this posting, Sanjurjo-Lopez has not been arraigned on the charges.