Whitehall Township official charged with using office to harass neighbors with whom she had a dispute

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Whitehall Township's tax collector has been criminally charged in a dispute she had with her neighbors over a small greenhouse they built.

Tina Koren, 65, of Whitehall, who also is the township treasurer, was charged Monday with misdemeanor counts of official oppression and harassment, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said.

Holihan said Koren complained to township officials about the structure, at the property line with Koren's land, in the 3300 block of South Ruch Street in the township.

Then, in her capacity as township tax collector, Koren sent several misleading emails to the company contracted by the township to handle business taxes, Holihan said.

Holihan said the investigation began with a complaint filed in September 2025 with Whitehall Township Police by Koren’s neighbors, Mary Ellen and Steven Griffin.

The Griffins alleged harassing behavior by Koren.

To avoid conflict of interests, township Police Chief Michael Marks referred the investigation to the Lehigh County district attorney’s office, Holihan said.

Lack of permit challenged

The Griffins own and operate The Caring Place, a nonprofit charitable organization at 931 Hamilton St., Allentown, dedicated to providing food, shelter, clothing and essential
services to the homeless and those in crisis.

The organization conducts no business activity at the Griffin home or property in Whitehall Township, Holihan said.

The investigation revealed that in early June 2025, the Griffins built a small greenhouse to the rear of their property.

It was to be used to grow fresh vegetables to be donated to individuals and families in need through The Caring Place and to educate children about how food is grown.

On June 12, 2025, Koren filed a complaint with the township zoning office, stating the greenhouse was being constructed without a property building permit.

An inspection was conducted by the zoning office and on June 23, 2025, the zoning office sent an enforcement notice to the Griffin family.

Days later, Steven Griffin completed the necessary building permit paperwork, paid the $35 fee and received a valid building permit for the greenhouse, Holihan said.

'No legitimate purpose'

The investigation revealed that Koren, acting in her capacity as the township tax collector, sent "several misleading emails to the company contracted by the township to handle business taxes," Holihan said in a release.

The emails written by Koren stated the Griffins were running part of the business from their home in violation of township tax law.

"This misinformation led to several tax bills and notices being received by the Griffins that had been authored by Koren," Holihan's release said.

In one email to the business tax collection agency, Koren included a photo of a van bearing The Caring Place logo in front of the Griffin home with a woman at the rear of the vehicle.

The email states, “This is one of the many pictures I have received from Whitehall residents who are legitimately paying for a business license.”

The investigation revealed the photo of the van was taken from inside the Koren home.

"The investigation indicated that Koren, acting in her official capacity as the Whitehall Township Tax Collector, intentionally mislead and/or lied to the business tax collection agency about the business activity of the Griffins," the release said.

She did that "in order to subject the Griffins to unfair assessment, mistreatment, infringement of personal and property rights which did alarm and seriously annoy the Griffins and served no legitimate purpose and harassed the Griffins," it said.

Koren's responds

In a statement, Attorney Michael J. Donohue of Donohue Law of Allentown, who identified himself as Koren's lawyer, said, "Ms. Koren is innocent, and she categorically denies that she committed any crime."

"These allegations mischaracterize Ms. Koren’s good-faith performance of her public duties to collect a $35 business license fee on behalf of the township," the statement said.

“The Commonwealth must prove each element of the offenses charged beyond a reasonable doubt, including the required intent, and the evidence will not support those claims.

"Ms. Koren did not act to harass anyone, and she did not misuse her office to deprive anyone of any right.

“Because this is pending in court, Ms. Koren will not try the case in the media or comment on specific evidence. She will, however, fully cooperate with the legal process and will vigorously defend herself.

“We ask the public to reserve judgment until all facts are presented in the proper forum.”

Prior disputes with township officials

Koren, who also served nearly two decades on Whitehall-Coplay School Board, has had legal disputes with other township officials in recent years.

In November 2024, she filed federal lawsuits against the township and Mayor Joseph Marx, saying she was obstructed from doing her job.

Koren said the defendants of subjecting her to “frivolous” and “unfounded” grievances and a supposed “rebellion” among her employees at the tax office.

Koren lost a mayoral race to Marx in November 2023 by a margin of just 121 votes.

She was sworn into her current position in early 2022.

Koren said in her lawsuit that Marx also supposedly pushed a referendum to eliminate her position, which failed, and allegedly had his son “file a frivolous challenge to [Koren’s] nominating position” to the Republican Party, despite the fact he was ineligible to do so.

Further issues in the complaint include claims that in July and August 2024, Marx directed the township’s chief of police to restrict Koren’s access to parts of the township building.