Georgianna M. Carter, the former Vice President of Point Marion’s parks committee and former Powerball winner, has been accused of stealing more than $73,000 from her borough allegedly to support gambling-related activity, according to investigators.
Carter, who was the co-winner of the $30.6 million Powerball jackpot over 25 years ago, was officially charged with theft after Fayette County detectives in Pennsylvania noticed that she had made several withdrawals from the bank account of the Point Marion Borough Park Commission’s bank account.
Investigators allege the withdrawals occurred over a 16-month period after Carter joined the board in April 2021, with Mayor Carl Ables Jr noticing the money was starting to go missing in August 2022.
After invoices for the annual Point Marion Regatta had gone unpaid, Ables found several illegitimate payments and took this information to the Police Department.
The Point Marion case went unresolved for three years
Despite court documents indicating Carter acknowledged taking more than $73,000, she wasn’t charged at the time, as she had been removed from the commission.
No charges were filed at the time, and the case remained inactive for several years.
Three years on, new Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele subsequently met with officials last year to discuss the matter.
“We played catch up and were able to file the charges we did,” Aubele said. “We never gave up on it.”
This led to Detective Steven Kontaxes and an FBI agent interviewing Carter in August 2025. She claimed her boyfriend had paid back the money taken from the bank account, but it was later found out that only $17,000 was paid.
Aubele said investigators were ‘flabbergasted,’ given Carter’s past lottery winnings, that she reported being unable to make full restitution.
She was charged by District Judge Daniel Shimshock on counts of theft and access device fraud. Furthermore, she was also charged with one misdemeanor of misapplying government funds.
In a public Facebook post, Carter acknowledged wrongdoing and expressed remorse, apologizing to her family and community. “I have embarrassed myself, my family and my community and for that, I will never be able to apologize enough in this lifetime,” she wrote. In the same post, she criticized what she described as harassment and false allegations and asked for privacy.
Carter is due back for her hearing on February 25, as she is currently free on a $50,000 bond at the moment.
Featured Image: Pennsylvania Lottery via press release
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