Accountant is charged with theft

AUSTINTOWN -- An accountant is charged with stealing more than $100,000 from Scacchetti's restaurant on Mahoning Avenue.
Wendy Obenauf, 44, of Struthers, was arrested Monday on a charge of grand theft, a felony, said Austintown Detective Sgt. Frank Tomasino. Obenauf owns a business called Payroll Services Plus, which she operates out of her home, Tomasino said.
He said the theft occurred over 18 months from the end of 2004 through 2005. She wrote checks from the business's account to herself, Tomasino said.
Anthony Scacchetti reported to police Jan. 17 "large discrepancies" that he and his wife, Lynn, had noticed while reviewing their account statements, a police report says.
The report says Scacchetti never knew the reason his business began losing money two years ago. Obenauf's duties included the business payroll, tax filing and workers' compensation insurance.
Scacchetti told police that in 2005, Obenauf wrote herself more than 100 checks from the business account. She was writing the checks and noting them as being paid to Lynn Scacchetti, who hasn't taken a paycheck for some time because of the business's financial situation, the report says.
After her appearance Monday in Mahoning County Court No. 4, Obenauf's pretrial was set for March 27.