DUBOIS — On a spring day in March 2020, as Pennsylvania teetered on the brink of the COVID-19 lockdown, an anonymous letter arrived at State Police offices. The letter, signed “Concerned Citizens,” outlined potential wrongdoing by Herm Suplizio, the politically connected manager of DuBois, a small city about two hours northeast of Pittsburgh.

Suplizio, the letter asserted, was directing money from a nonprofit he oversaw to DuBois, where he controlled nearly all government operations — an unusual move that raised questions about its legality.

Now, Suplizio, 62, faces sweeping corruption charges. The Office of Attorney General announced in late March that Suplizio had been arrested for stealing more than $600,000 from public accounts over which he had signatory control. Investigators with that office also allege Suplizio then lied on his tax returns to snag a bigger refund from the government.

The overall scheme was so elaborate, according to the AG’s office, that investigators with extensive backgrounds in organized and financial crimes were brought in to untangle what charging documents describe as a web of money moving in and out of accounts, with little oversight or accountability.