Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse
Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse
PITTSBURGH – Federal prosecutors have charged a Pittsburgh lawyer with money laundering after he allegedly diverted nearly $1.4 million from a nonprofit to his own accounts.
Christopher Furman is alleged to have used that money to buy and sell cryptocurrency with money taken from the Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Heights Incline – the cable-car funicular popular with tourists in Pittsburgh.
Furman was selected president of the group’s board of trustees in 2020 because he had previously worked there and for his experience as an attorney. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Troy Rivetti filed a 10-count indictment against Furman, 53, alleging the embezzlement occurred from October 2024 to September 2025.
Though he didn’t have access to the Society’s bank account, Furman allegedly transferred $1,379,300 from it to his own account in more than 25 transactions. He’s also charged with wire fraud.
WTAE reported the Society noticed discrepancies in its financial records and reported it to authorities and that Furman has been removed from his position.
According to court records, Furman represented the boards of elections in Butler, Clarion, Susquehanna and Tioga counties in litigation brought against all Pennsylvania counties and the Republican National Committee over mail-in ballots that weren’t counted.
The case reached the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which ruled counties could disqualify mail-in ballots that didn’t comply with a state law that required them to be dated.
Furman also served as the solicitor for the Clarion County Planning Commission.
