Sixteen notaries from 12 counties were disciplined by the Department of State for offenses involving personal appearance, registers, and other violations against the Pa. Notary Public Law.
Adams County
A notary who performed a notarial act outside the boundaries of the commonwealth and failed to keep and maintain custody and control her register was ordered to pay a $250 civil penalty and $150 for costs of continued monitoring. Her notary commission was suspended for three months, but stayed in favor of probation. She was also ordered to attend a notary education class.
Allegheny County
Ordered to pay a $1,000 civil penalty and $300 for costs of continued monitoring, the notary was described as “not of good character, integrity and ability” by the Department of State for failing to know through personal knowledge or having satisfactory evidence that the person appearing before him was the person described in and who was executing the instrument. He also failed to keep and maintain custody and control of his register and when required, to give a certified copy of the register to any person applying for the same. He also failed to keep and maintain custody and control of his notary seal. His commission was suspended for 12 months, with six months of active suspension and six months stayed in favor of probation. The state also ordered him to attend a notary education class.
Berks County
A notary who failed to know through personal knowledge or have satisfactory evidence that the person appearing before her was the person described in and who was executing the instrument was ordered to pay a $250 civil penalty and $300 for costs of continued monitoring. Her commission was suspended for six months, but stayed in favor of six months of probation. She was also ordered to attend a notary education class.
Bradford County
Described by the Department of State as “not of good character, integrity and ability,” a notary was ordered to pay a $750 civil penalty and $300 for continued monitoring because she failed to know through personal knowledge or have satisfactory evidence that the person appearing before her was the person describe in and who was executing the instrument. She failed to keep and maintain custody and control of her register and give a certified copy of her register to any person applying for it. Her notary commission was suspended for six months but stayed in favor of probation. She was also ordered to attend a notary education class.
Bucks County
A notary had her commission suspended for three months, but stayed in favor of probation and ordered to pay a civil penalty of $250 and $150 for continued monitoring. She was also ordered to attend a notary education class. No reason for the disciplinary action was given by the Department of State.
Another Bucks County notary voluntarily relinquished her right to apply for a new notary commission for five years starting from the date her criminal sentence commenced on Oct. 18, 2010.
Cumberland County
A notary agreed to permanently and voluntarily surrender his notary commission because he acted in a transaction in which he was directly or financially interested.
Franklin County A notary who was convicted or pled nolo contendere to a felony or a lesser offense incompatible with the duties of a notary, permanently surrendered her notary commission. She failed to know through personal knowledge or have satisfactory evidence that the person appearing before her was the person described in and who was executing the instrument.
Greene County
Failing to submit documents in a timely manner cost a Greene County notary $250 in civil penalties and $150 for costs of continued monitoring. His commission was suspended for three months, stayed in favor of probation. He was also ordered to attend a notary education class.
McKean County
Ordered to pay a $100 civil penalty and $150 for costs of continued monitoring, a notary’s commission was suspended for three months, stayed in favor of probation. She was also ordered to attend a notary education class. No reason for the disciplinary action was cited by the Department of State.
Montgomery County
A notary was ordered to attend a notary education class and pay a $250 civil penalty and $150 for costs of continued monitoring. Her commission was suspended for three months, but stayed in favor of probation. No reason for the disciplinary action was given by the Department of State.
Philadelphia County
Two Philadelphia notaries permanently surrendered their notary commissions for failing to know through personal knowledge or have satisfactory evidence that the persons appearing before them were the persons described in and who were executing the instruments. One notary also failed to keep and maintain a register and give a certified copy of the register to any person applying for the same. A third Philadelphia notary improperly notarized a document that she acted upon as a witness and was ordered to pay a $250 civil penalty. She was also ordered to attend a notary education class. The fourth Philadelphia notary who
was disciplined by the Department of State had her commission suspended for six months, but stayed in favor of probation. She was ordered to pay a $250 civil penalty and $300 for costs of continued monitoring and complete a six-hour notary education course. The notary failed to maintain accurate entries in her register and failed to maintain control of her register by permitting another person to make entries into it.
Somerset County
Considered “not of good character, integrity and ability” by the Department of State, the commission of a Somerset County notary was suspended for 12 months, six months of active suspension followed by six months stayed in favor of probation. She was ordered to pay a $500 civil penalty and $300 for costs of continued monitoring and was required to attend a notary education class. The notary failed to require the personal appearance of an individual for whom she was notarizing documents.
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