A Hellertown woman has been convicted of running a fraudulent estate sale scheme that defrauded 15 clients of more than $35,000 over several years.
Amy Lynn Richline, 51, who operated Bethlehem-based Top Notch Estate Sales, was found guilty of 13 counts of theft and 13 counts of deceptive business practices following a four-day bench trial. The verdict was handed down by Northampton County Judge Brian Panella, who is scheduled to sentence Richline on July 16.
The case began in June 2023 after a Bethlehem Township resident reported that he had never been paid for an estate sale conducted at his late mother’s home. Authorities say that was only the beginning.
Investigators uncovered that Richline had similarly withheld payments from at least 14 additional victims in locations including Bethlehem, Allentown, Coopersburg, and Coplay. The fraudulent activity stretched back as far as 2020.
According to prosecutors, Richline’s victims were not permitted to attend the estate sales and were never given itemized records of what was sold. Contracts signed with her business promised payment within 15 days of the sale. Instead, customers said they received vague invoices—and then silence.
When contacted, Richline reportedly repeated a generic explanation, claiming the payments were delayed due to issues with certified funds. Eventually, communication stopped altogether.
District Attorney Stephen Baratta announced the verdict last Friday. Richline’s public defender, Theodore Andrew Skaarup, could not be reached for comment. At the time of her 2023 arrest, Richline denied all allegations in an interview with lehighvalleylive.com.
