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After being closed for five months, PetSmart set to reopen Friday

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Two men sentenced for armed robbery in Kingston

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A fourth person involved with swindling a large amount of money from the account of two customers at the Hazle Township branch of M&amp;T Bank last year was sentenced Wednesday in Luzerne County Court.</p><p>Dwaine Gilley, 25, must serve five years on probation for charges of forgery and theft. Gilley, of Hazleton, pleaded guilty Sept. 24, when prosecutors withdrew charges of identity theft, receiving stolen property and a second theft count.</p><p>State police allege Ashlee Felix, 23, of Hazle Township, conspired with Gilley, Njia Graham, 24, Randy Escoto, 28, and Emily Fernandez, 22, all from Hazleton, to withdraw money from two accounts at the M&amp;T Bank branch in the Laurel Mall on Dec. 8.</p><p>Felix was a bank teller at the branch and had given notice in November 2017 she would be leaving her employment, according to court records.</p><p>Troopers believe the five people planned the scheme when Felix gave her notice.</p><p>On Felix&#8217;s last day of employment Dec. 8, Gilley entered the bank with a forged withdrawal slip he passed to Felix, who gave him $15,000 without logging the amount into the bank&#8217;s computer system, a complaint says.</p><p>Graham and Escoto also allegedly entered the bank on Felix&#8217;s last day and passed two forged withdrawal slips. Felix gave them $16,500 and $15,000 from another customer&#8217;s account, police report.</p><p>Felix is facing a trial in January on three counts of theft and a single count of receiving stolen property.</p><p>Graham pleaded guilty to a single count of forgery and was sentenced Aug. 3 to five years on probation.</p><p>Escoto pleaded guilty to a forgery count and was sentenced Aug. 15 to 10 years on probation.</p><p>Fernandez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft and was sentenced Oct. 15 to probation for one year.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Hazleton man gets probation in bank scam