Former Scranton police officer convicted of theft

Scranton, Pa. — A former police officer and former police union president-elect was convicted June 4 of theft.

Paul Helring, 48, a former Scranton Police Department officer, was sentenced June 4 by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to 6 months in prison and sentenced to two years of supervised release for the offense of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds.

According to the United States Attorney's Office, between approximately March 2021 and May 2022, while serving as the Scranton Police Department's overtime program coordinator, Helring knowingly obtained by fraud more than $5,000.00 in compensation paid to him for certain additional patrol shifts. in local public housing complexes in the Scranton area, where Helring claimed to work but was not, in fact, working.

In total, the investigation found that Helring reported working 526 hours patrolling the complexes, but did not actually work, according to a news release.

At his sentencing, Helring was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $17,831.40 and pay a fine of $5,000.00. He was also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service as a condition of his supervised release.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Public Corruption Task Force, with assistance from the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffery St John and Phillip J. Caraballo prosecuted the case.