On Friday, April 5, 2024, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania temporarily suspended attorney Rebecca Catherine Stein of Allegheny County.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Rebecca Catherine Stein,” with case number 3041.
According to the court order, Stein was placed on temporary suspension under the Pennsylvania Rule of Disciplinary Enforcement 214(d)(5). This rule allows for interim suspension of an attorney’s law license while criminal charges are pending against them that could result in substantial harm to a client or the public.
According to a report from Trib Live, Stein is facing criminal charges in Allegheny County for felony theft and receiving stolen property, as well as misappropriation of funds. She has been accused of embezzling over $250,000 from the Fort Pitt Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, where she served as treasurer.
The Fort Pitt Society is a non-profit organization that owns and maintains the historic Fort Pitt Block House located in Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh. According to a Tribune-Review news article covering the case, investigators allege Stein used her position as treasurer to write over 100 unauthorized checks from the organization’s accounts totaling around $315,000 to herself between 2019 and 2023.
Much of this money was allegedly used to make payments on 13 credit cards in Stein’s name. An internal review found that she had falsified entries in the organization’s QuickBooks accounting software in an attempt to conceal that she was writing checks to herself. The Fort Pitt Society’s four investment accounts had contained around $500,000 before the embezzlement occurred.
As part of her temporary suspension, the Supreme Court order requires Stein to comply with Pennsylvania Rule of Disciplinary Enforcement 217, including notifying her law clients that her license has been suspended pending resolution of the criminal case.
According to Avvo, Ms. Stein is an attorney in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She obtained her law license in Pennsylvania in 2016.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
