Woman accused of faking husband’s death to get refund on $14K carport
Derry Township, PA – A Latrobe-area woman is facing felony charges after allegedly forging a death certificate to claim her husband had died—so she could cancel a $14,800 carport project and recover her deposit, according to Westmoreland County detectives.
Lori Shawley, 54, is accused of providing a fake death certificate to a North Carolina-based business that sells and installs metal garages and carports. Detectives said the business became suspicious and contacted the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office, triggering a criminal investigation.
According to county detective Ray Dupilka, Shawley hired the company in July to construct the carport at her home in Derry Township. She paid a $2,790 deposit. In August, she contacted the business claiming her husband had passed away unexpectedly and asked for the deposit back to help cover funeral expenses.
As per the terms of the contract, the business requested a death certificate to process the refund. Shawley allegedly sent over a document dated August 8, 2025, but company officials suspected it was computer-generated. They forwarded it to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office, which confirmed it was not authentic and did not match any of their records.
On September 10, detectives interviewed Shawley’s husband, who confirmed he is alive and had no knowledge of any death certificate.
Detectives say the company was not obligated to issue a refund under the signed contract if the customer cancels. Shawley is now charged with felony forgery and theft by deception.
She was arrested on September 15. All charges are pending, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Key Points
- Lori Shawley allegedly forged her husband’s death certificate to get a $2,790 refund
- Coroner’s office confirmed the document was fake after business raised concerns
- Shawley is charged with forgery and theft by deception in Westmoreland County