Cops: Pa. man listed dog as dependent in food scam

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The former manager of a school district's cafeteria service listed his dog as a dependent so he could get discounted school lunches for his children, state police said.

The state police Bureau of Criminal Investigation's organized crime division announced theft charges today against Gabriel Paulick.

Paulick worked for Nutrition Inc. when he managed the Ringgold School District cafeteria system, about 15 miles south of Pittsburgh, police said. He not only got reduced-price lunches worth more than $1,700 for his children, he also helped district employees fudge their applications to get more than $9,000 worth of free or reduced-price lunches, police said.

Capt. Bret Waggoner, who heads the organized crime unit, said his troopers have investigated school lunch frauds before but never one in which someone tried to pass off a dog as a family member.