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<p>SCRANTON &#8212; A plea date has been set for a former Hazle Township solicitor who federal prosecutors say pilfered more than $105,000 in funds he held in an escrow account.</p><p>Charles R. Pedri, 64, will plead guilty to federal theft charges at 10 a.m. July 14. in U.S. District Court in Scranton, according to federal court documents filed Tuesday.</p><p>The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000, according to prosecutors.</p><p>Pedri was charged by way of criminal information filed June 7 with a single count of theft from a program receiving federal funds after prosecutors allege he spent $105,586 held in escrow for Massachusetts-based developer Hazle Spindle between 2012 and 2013.</p><p>Prosecutors allege Pedri wrote checks to himself drawn, using the funds for his own personal gain until they were virtually gone. Court records show he repaid the funds.</p><p>Pedri, the father of Luzerne County Manager David Pedri, was terminated by the township and his law license suspended by the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania last year. The five-year suspension took effect last June.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Guilty plea date set for former Hazle Township solicitor charged with theft