Uniontown Council Member Charged With Felony Benefits Fraud

November 13, 2026

Trace Thomas, a member of the Uniontown, Pennsylvania, City Council, was charged Nov. 12, 2026, with one felony count of fraudulently obtaining food stamps or other assistance, according to the court docket. Status: Charged, Not Arrested. The docket lists no arrest date. The charge is an allegation. Thomas is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The criminal complaint, filed by the Pennsylvania Office of State Inspector General, charges a violation of 62 P.S. § 481(a), graded as a third-degree felony, with an offense date of Feb. 1, 2024. According to the Herald-Standard’s account of the complaint, investigators allege he received $5,705 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and $1,000 in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program aid after being hired by a Pittsburgh-based health care company in September 2023, reported himself unemployed on eight applications through August 2025, and was paid more than $166,000 in wages over the period.

Unsecured bail of $20,000 was set Nov. 12, and Thomas posted it on his own signature the same day. After the original magisterial district court filed a recusal, the case was reassigned to Magisterial District Judge Ronald J. Haggerty Jr. The docket shows a preliminary hearing scheduled for Dec. 16, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Haggerty. The Fayette County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting.

Uniontown Solicitor Tim Witt said: “The charge does not relate to the City and does not require any action by City Council or the City at this time. In the interim, however, the City notes that individuals are entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. The City will monitor this case and will take action if or when it is appropriate.”

Sources: Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System docket MJ-14102-CR-0000450-2026 (primary); Herald-Standard, Nov. 12, 2026.