3-6 Years in Prison for Woman Who Scammed Linny Fowler

By Tom Coombe

For Shawnta Carmon, philanthropist Linny Fowler was a friend and a guardian angel, giving the Allentown woman money for whatever she needed.

But Carmon took advantage of that generosity, a Northampton County judge said Friday, using it to steal more than $1.1 million from the Bethlehem heiress.

"You can't sit here and tell me you were her friend because a friend would not do that," Judge Emil Giordano told Carmon as he sentenced her to spend three to six years in prison. "So don't insult me by calling yourself that."

Fowler, who died earlier this year, was known throughout the Lehigh Valley for her charitable giving.

That generosity extended not only to institutions, but to people like Carmon, who testified she became "very dependent" on Fowler's money.

"I would get evicted, she would help me move," Carmon testified. "I would crash a car, she would buy me a new one."

She said her relationship with Fowler went beyond money, but acknowledged that she took advantage of her generosity.

"I would stretch the truth. If the bill was $500, I'd say it was $750," Carmon said.

According to a county grand jury, Carmon and her husband, Hassan, took more than $1.15 million from Fowler over a four-year period, giving her a variety of stories for why they needed the money: dental care, tuition, and a heart transplant for Shawnta's daughter.

In reality, they spent the money on expensive clothing and jewelry, as well as gambling in Pennsylvania, Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Shawnta Carmon pleaded guilty in September to two counts of theft and a bad check charge. Hassan Carmon pleaded guilty in October and was sentenced recently to spend up to five years in prison.

Giordano acknowledged that Shawnta Carmon had admitted her guilt and completed prison rehab programs, but said she had squandered the money.

"You could have put all four of your children through Penn State," he said. "You could have given them each $80,000 for a down payment on their first home. You could have changed your family tree."

Instead, her kids will be without their mom for the next few years.