October 25, 2023

Ex-Doylestown Hospital administrator charged with stealing $600,000 from charity fund

Norma Galagarza, 68, of Chalfont, allegedly embezzled the money over a 13-year period and used it to cover personal expenses, Bucks County prosecutors say

By Michael Tanenbaum
PhillyVoice Staff

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Norma Galagarza, 68, allegedly embezzled more than $600,000 from a charity fund at Doylestown Hospital in Bucks County.

A former Doylestown Hospital administrator allegedly stole $600,000 from a charity fund and used the money to pay her taxes, car payments and credit card bills, Bucks County prosecutors said.

Norma Galagarza, 68, of Chalfont, allegedly embezzled the money over 13 years while serving as the hospital's director of medical staff. She retired in March 2021, months before the hospital's board discovered unusual activity linked to the account, investigators said.

Part of Galagarza's duties were to oversee the account for the hospital's Charitable Fund, created in 1991 to invest in the community and provide assistance to employees in need. Donations to the account came exclusively from physicians who were part of the hospital's Medical Executive Committee managed by Galagarza.

The account went dormant around 2007 and the Medical Executive Committee stopped receiving monthly statements, prosecutors said.

Source/Bucks County D.A.

Norma Galagarza

But in January 2022, the hospital's board began receiving insufficient funds charges on the account despite not knowing that it was still open, according to investigators. A review of the account revealed that there had been unauthorized activity, including withdrawals and deposits totaling more than $55,000 from October 2020 to December 2021, prosecutors said.

The hospital later determined that the mailing address of the account allegedly had been changed from the hospital's address to Galagarza's home address.

Galagarza allegedly made 896 unauthorized transactions amounting to $604,702 from 2008 to 2021.

Galagarza was arraigned Tuesday on felony charges of theft, forgery, receiving stolen property and related offenses.