By Mark Tanos
Police arrested the former chief people and diversity officer of the Philadelphia Art Museum after she allegedly racked up tens of thousands of dollars in personal expenses on a company credit card.
Latasha Harling, 43, faces charges of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and related crimes, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Prosecutors say she charged more than $58,000 in personal expenses to a corporate card and failed to repay the funds, court records show.
She resigned from her position in January, roughly six months before her July arrest.
Museum staff discovered the alleged misconduct in January 2025 when they noticed Harling’s December credit card statement contained “several large, and apparently personal expenses,” according to the affidavit of probable cause. (RELATED: Historic ‘First Woman’ Security Chief Oversaw Embarrassing Louvre Heist)
Art Museum’s former HR, DEI director charged with theft after police said she put $58k in personal expenses on company card https://t.co/bD8kMdc3ta
— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) November 22, 2025
The museum’s chief financial officer conducted an audit and found Harling charged $58,885.98 in personal expenses to the corporate card during her tenure. She had not filed an expense report since July 2024, the affidavit said.
Museum officials confronted Harling about the charges and proposed she repay $32,565.42. She resigned soon after “without resolution,” according to court documents.
In February, Harling signed a promissory note agreeing to pay back $19,380.21 over three months. But by April, she had not repaid any of the funds, prosecutors said. Under the agreement, she should have paid back approximately $13,000 by that time.
A museum lawyer contacted police in April, and prosecutors agreed to file charges after reviewing Harling’s expenses, email correspondence and the museum’s travel policy.
Harling and her lawyers at the Defender Association declined to comment, according to the outlet. A Philadelphia Art Museum spokesperson also declined to comment.
The case remains pending in Philadelphia’s criminal court.
