A former Carbon County Clerk of Courts charged with stealing $43,000 from the office waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday in front of Magisterial District Judge Eric Schrantz.

William C. McGinley, 60, of Jim Thorpe, is scheduled to next appear in Carbon County Court on March 5 at 10:30 a.m. for a formal arraignment.

McGinley was charged in December with theft by unlawful taking-movable property, receiving stolen property, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, tampering with public records or information, obstruction of the administration of law or other government function, and restricted activities-conflict of interest.

He remains free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, there were 169 instances between September 2013 and March 2018 when fingerprint/booking fees were collected at the Carbon County Correctional Facility and turned over to the county Clerk of Courts office, but the money was never deposited in the bank or noted in the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts computer system.

The Clerk of Courts office normally receives cash from the prison the next business day after a person is fingerprinted and/or booked following a criminal arrest, or when bail is paid with cash to the prison after business hours.

Wright said there were also 69 cases, from August 2014 to April 2018, where bail was posted in cash and turned over to the county Clerk of Courts office, but was never deposited or accounted for in the AOPC system.

McGinley met with representatives from the Attorney General’s office on Dec. 3 and admitted he took money from the office during the time he was elected. He told agents he used the money to gamble on poker machines.

Asked how much money he thought he took from the office, McGinley estimated around $20,000. When told it was near $45,000, McGinley said he was “surprised it was that much, but he was willing to pay it back.”

McGinley retired after 28 years in the position on May 1, leaving the office in what county officials dubbed “a mess.”

He was re-elected without opposition in November 2017 and was only four months into his new term at the time.

County officials confirmed in July that the Attorney General’s Office was investigating McGinley.