Criminal charges were filed with a district justice against a Pottsville attorney arising from billings made to Schuylkill County for services as a custody conciliator.

Attorney Lynne G. Bressi, 63, was charged by the state attorney general's office with theft by deception, receiving stolen property, tampering with public records, criminal solicitation to tamper with public records, tampering with records or identification, criminal solicitation to tamper with records and intimidation of a witness. District Judge James K. Reiley, of Pottsville, will hold a preliminary hearing on Feb. 28 and released the defendant on $50,000 unsecured bail.President Judge William E. Baldwin, who had appointed her to to post, upon receiving information concerning the billing, immediately requested District Attorney James P. Goodman to investigate. However, Goodman reclused himself and his office, because Bressi's husband, Attorney Charles Bressi, had been a member of his prosecuting staff before resigning. The investigation was then turned over to the state attorney general's office.The information filed dealt with billings over a four year period. Bressi was paid on a hourly basis at $125 per hour and was not on the regular county payroll. She was only paid for the hours she met with parties dealing with custody in divorce proceedings. The charge is that on 48 occasions she allegedly billed for hearings not held. The total amount was listed at $6,000.