Jacqueline Bucco, 46, of Telford (Credit: Hilltown Police)
Telford woman was sentenced to federal prison in 2011 for stealing $429,000 from Dow Jones
A Telford woman, who spent time in federal prison for stealing $429,000 from Dow Jones, will be sentenced in June after pleading guilty last week to 11 felonies tied to the embezzlement of more than $20,000 from an elementary school’s parent-teacher organization, where she was the treasurer.
Jacqueline Bucco, 46, will be sentenced June 9 in Bucks County Common Pleas Court, following guilty pleas to felony counts of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, four counts of forgery, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, theft by failing to make required deposits of funds, criminal use of a communication device, unlawful use of a computer-access to disrupt functions, and computer trespassing, according to court records.
Bucco was charged by Hilltown authorities in May 2025, following an investigation that began in June 2023.
At that time, representatives of the PTO at J.M. Grasse Elementary School, a Pennridge School District institution located at 600 Rickert Road, came to the Hilltown Township Police Department after its bank account was found to be depleted of funds, police said.
Through a lengthy investigation, it was learned that Bucco took over the PTO’s treasurer position in September 2021. Over the course of two years, Bucco embezzled the money. The monies that Bucco stole were funds that were collected from various PTO fundraisers throughout the school year.
Police said Bucco embezzled the money by issuing checks to herself and forging names of PTO board members on checks that were never approved by the board.
Police said some of the checks were noted "For Deposit Only" and deposited into Bucco's personal bank account, which her boyfriend also had access to. Bucco did not provide the PTO with receipts, ledgers, or expense reports regarding the checks, police said.
Bucco told police she deposited $4,386 into the PTO account, and with no record of it, she accused the bank employee of stealing it, police said. She told authorities she borrowed $4,000 from her employer to cover the missing money in the account.
In 2011, Bucco pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, admitting to stealing the money while working as a fulfillment assistant at Dow Jones' Monmouth Junction office.
Authorities said Bucco found money in a dormant internal system of bank accounts she was in charge of, and transferred it to her personal accounts, later spending it on numerous luxuries.
Items purchased in the 2011 case included:
• A Harley Davidson Sportster motorcycle
• 25 Coach items, including suitcases, purses, and checkbooks
• A Louis Vuitton purse and wallet
• Two Apple iPads and two Apple iPods
• A Kindle
• An X-Box Kinect
• A Motorola Droid
• A Nikon digital camera
• A Meade telescope
• A Sony handycam
• Two JBL 500-series speakers
• A 32-inch Polaroid TV-DVD combination player
• Four guitars, including three Gibson Les Paul guitars and one Sterling guitar
• Two pairs of sunglasses, including Salvatore Ferragamo and Coach brands
• Jewelry – including five necklaces, eight bracelets, two pairs of earnings, and three rings
• Two dresses from David’s Bridal, including a wedding dress
• A pair of Jimmy Choo shoes
Bucco was given three years of probation and ordered to repay $429,210 in restitution.
The recent Bucks County case was investigated by Detective Louis Bell of the Hilltown Township Police Department and is assigned for prosecution by Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc Furber who is the Chief of Economic Crimes and Insurance Fraud.
Bucco is free on $100,000 unsecured bail ahead of her sentencing. She is represented by Lower Salford attorney Vincent Petersen.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
