By Betsy Brewer Brantner
Contributing Writer

James Rudolph Allen and Nicole Allen had their preliminary hearing at the District Court 15-3-05 before Judge Scott Massey, almost a year after the couple was first taken into custody following allegations of theft of funds in connection to a youth softball team’s fundraisers.

James Rudolph Allen, 50, was identified as a resident of Cochranville when he was first taken into custody and charged in April of 2024. He was arrested for alleged theft by failure to make required disposition of funds and receiving stolen property. 

His wife, Nicole Allen, also appeared at the preliminary hearing in District Court. After a lengthy investigation by police, she was also arrested and charged with similar alleged offenses as her husband on September 11, 2024. 

Oxford Police Sgt. Chris Coverly said, “This was a long time coming. There were multiple victims and a defendant and co-defendant. There were a couple more charges added. They waived their hearing. This will now move forward to the Chester County Court of Common Pleas.”

They were both charged with a felony for theft by deception and a felony for unlawful business practices.

Technically, the case should be held within 180 days, but because there are multiple victims and multiple co-defendants it may take longer. There are also numerous attorneys involved which could prolong the outcome. By law, the husband and wife must have separate attorneys, and the number of victims also adds to the number of attorneys involved.