Pottstown Pair Sold Fireworks For Company, Kept Money: Cops

POTTSTOWN, PA -- A Pottstown couple sold fireworks for a local business, but then kept all of the cash, authorities said.

Porshia Maldonado, 36, and James Shifflette, 37, have been charged with theft and conspiracy, the Atlantic County (New Jersey) prosecutor's office announced this week.

Maldonado was hired back in July 18 by Keystone Novelties Distributors, authorities said. She and Shifflette sold the fireworks out of a tent located in the parking lot of the Duck Town Tavern in Atlantic City.

They sold the fireworks for several days leading up to the 4th of July, according to prosecutors.

Over the course of several days, the pair pocketed more than $500 of money they'd gained from selling the fireworks, officials said.

The proceeds from the sales were not processed using the electronic equipment provided to them by Keystone, the prosecutor's office said.

The pair were charged on Jan. 15, and served summonses by the Lower Pottsgrove Police Department on Jan. 17. A preliminary hearing in Atlantic County Superior Court is set for Feb. 12.