Sekela Coles case: Upper Darby, Pennsylvania parking enforcement director resigns after being charged with theft

UPPER DARBY, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The parking enforcement director in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania has resigned after being accused of stealing coins from parking kiosks in order to financially benefit herself and her colleagues, city officials announced on Wednesday night.

According to Mayor Barbarann Keffer, 45-year-old Sekela Coles resigned effective immediately.

"My focus remains on serving our community," added Keffer during a Wednesday night council meeting.

Coles, a previous Upper Darby Township councilwoman, became the director of parking enforcement in January 2020.

She is facing several charges, including unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property and obstruction of justice.

District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer says in November 2021, Coles introduced new parking kiosks in Upper Darby. Just a month later, he says Coles directed her administrative assistant, Nikita Barnes, to take coins from those kiosks.

"Nikita was told to take the coins that come in from the kiosks, take them in bank bags to her own personal car. (She would then) drive them to her own personal bank, use the coin counter there to count the coins, deposit the money in Nikita's own personal bank account, and then bring the cash back to Sekela Coles," said Stollsteimer during a press conference earlier this week.

The district attorney says Coles then used the money for the benefit of herself and the people in her office, spending it on things like parties, free lunches and gifts.

Stollsteimer says Coles stole more than $4,000.

Upper Darby Township officials say her annual salary is $70,525.20.

According to Stollsteimer, Coles eventually admitted to the scheme when speaking with county detectives in April.

"She also admitted that at some point, she realized they were taking too much money, that it would potentially be discovered by people in the tax office," Stollsteimer said. "So, she had Ms. Barnes repay some of the money."

Coles' attorney Andrew Edelberg says his client's character is unfairly being called into question.

"There may have been some sloppy accounting, sloppy record-keeping, and perhaps a sloppy policy that when it was discovered was ceased," Edelberg explained. "And it's now turned into what the district attorney's made it to be some sort of transparent prosecution of funds."

The Upper Darby mayor's office says it is fully cooperating with this investigation and working to ensure this does not happen again.

Coles is also accused of voiding at least eight parking violations for her family members.