Upper St.
Clair attorney Charles McCullough bilked a widowed dementia patient of thousands of dollars to enrich his family and further his political career, an Allegheny County investigative grand jury stated Thursday. McCullough, 53, a Republican county councilman, was charged with two dozen counts of theft, conspiracy and filing false reports. District Judge Eugene Ricciardi called him a “flight risk” and ordered him to jail in lieu of $20,000 bail, which McCullough posted last night. The grand jury alleged McCullough took the money from the $14.7 million estate of Shirley Jordan, 92, of Upper St. Clair while serving as trustee in 2006 and ’07. He illegally paid himself and his sister, and donated $50,000 to several Republican election campaigns and a charity run by his wife, according to the grand jury. story continues below “He’s a … dirty crook, if you want my opinion,” Jordan told a District Attorney’s Office detective during interviews in 2007, according to an affidavit. “Yes, he handles everything now and I did not give him permission.” Jordan has a history of giving conflicting directions and opinions, and several lawyers will testify to that at trial, defense attorney Clifford Levine said. Levine denounced the grand jury process and said an Orphans’ Court review and audit of the Jordan estate should have concluded the case.
Several members of the McCullough family benefited from Jordan’s estate, according to the grand jury. His sister, Kathleen McCullough, 46, of Collier is charged with theft and conspiracy. After she was fired from her previous job amid accusations she embezzled $1.25 million, her brother arranged for her to receive $60 an hour to be a companion for Jordan, according to the grand jury.