LANCASTER COUNTY, PA – Former Officer in Charge of the Lancaster County Drug Task Force, John Burkhart, has been sentenced to 8 to 22 months in prison for stealing funds seized by the agency between 2014 and 2020.
Burkhart will also serve four years of probation and was ordered to pay back $140,000 in restitution. He was taken into custody after the sentencing hearing in Lancaster County Court and will serve his prison term in Adams County.
Burkhart pleaded guilty in March to charges of Theft by Deception and Theft by Failure to Make Required Disposition of Funds.
The Office of Attorney General assumed jurisdiction over the case in April 2020 following a conflict referral from the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office. Investigators found that Burkhart repeatedly stole money that had been seized during drug investigations.