Former Jenkintown tax collecter charged with theft

Jenkintown's former tax collector was charged Thursday with stealing more than $200,000 in tax revenue and using it to gamble at the PhiladelphiaPark casino, according to the Montgomery County district attorney.

Michael O'Neill, 50, of Jenkintown, turned himself in to police and was charged with theft and related offenses. He was arraigned before District Judge Elizabeth McHugh in Elkins Park and released after posting $50,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing was set for June 17.

O'Neill, who was hired in 2002, abruptly resigned in January after Jenkintown police got a tip about suspicious activity on a borough bank account, District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said. An investigation by police and the District Attorney's Office found he had stolen $201,181, she said.

Ferman said O'Neill had acknowledged that he took the money to gamble at the Parx Casino in Bensalem. He visited the casino weekly between December 2008 and December 2009, losing more than $182,000, she said.