An employee of Sen. Bob Regola’s Harrisburg office has been suspended without pay and benefits for allegedly mishandling $40,000, the Senate Clerk’s Office said Wednesday.

The employee was identified as Pamela Barnhart by Senate Chief Clerk Russell Faber, who oversees Senate accounts.

The matter has been turned over to Capitol Police, Faber said. Regola discovered that “funds were misused or missing” in a legislative account established for use by Regola in his official duties, according to Faber.

“I just found out about it Friday,” Regola said in a telephone interview. “It’s very upsetting to me. I’m very disappointed. I’m going to provide as much as possible to the Capitol Police. I’m still in the process of gathering documentation.”

Regola, R-Hempfield, last month announced that he was withdrawing as a candidate for re-election after his acquittal on unrelated perjury charges in July.
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