Fraud cases are often uncovered by an auditor, a suspicious secretary, the perpetrator’s greed, etc. However, in the case of a city treasurer who stole a quarter-of-a-million dollars, the whistleblower was a bitter ex-boyfriend.

The former treasurer of Thornbury Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania recently pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $250,000 over eight years. Deborah Perry, 52, received three to six years in jail followed by four years of probation. Perry’s ex-boyfriend, Robert James Hance, informed authorities of the embezzlement after his break up with Perry. Hance is in jail awaiting trial for allegedly spending a portion of the stolen funds.

Perry must pay $303,000 in restitution, including $40,000 before beginning her prison term in January. She joins the list of other Delaware County public employees convicted of embezzlement within the past few years. Last year, a Southeast Delco School District employee was convicted of stealing $287,000 in lunch money. In March, a Ridley School District payroll coordinator and her husband, also a district employee, pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $600,000 and losing it all in casinos.

For the eight years Perry served as treasurer, she had total control over disbursements and signed all checks. Now as a result of the embezzlement, Thornbury Township requires that all checks be signed by two board members. According to James Raith, chairman of Thornbury’s board of supervisors, the new safeguards the township has in place should prevent this type of fraud from happening again.

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