Grand jury indicts former Lafayette High School principal on charge of felony embezzlement in Virginia

Four months after Kimberly Hollemon resigned as principal of Lafayette High School, a grand jury in the Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court indicted her on a single count of felony embezzlement.

Hollemon, 49 of Providence Forge, was initially placed on administrative leave by the Williamsburg-James City County School Division in April and she resigned May 2. The grand jury handed down the indictment on Sept. 18, according to Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court filings.

James City County Police Department spokeswoman Stephanie Williams said a person at the school division called police about suspected embezzlement.The person alleged Hollemon used the school division’s credit card to make purchases, Williams said. Investigators discovered Hollemon used the card repeatedly to purchase items for her personal use.Hollemon turned herself into the James City County Police Department on Sept. 24 around 4:15 p.m. after the police department had a warrant for her arrest issued on Sept. 20, according to the filings.Hollemon was transported to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail and released on a $1,000 unsecured bond due to her “ample ties to this community," according to the bond order.When reached for comment, Hollemon said “You can contact my attorney,” before she ended the phone call.Hollemon’s attorney Travis Williams of Chesterfield said he intended to enter a not guilty plea on her behalf, and that she was stunned by the accusations against her.

“My client is a lifelong educator with a pristine background, who has always put the kids first and always worked to help them,” Williams said. “She was shocked when these allegations came out, and we will vigorously fight them because my client would never violate that position of trust.”

Williams also said that Hollemon wanted to thank some members of the community for words of support she had received since April, including from parents and students.

According to Williamsburg-James City County School Division spokeswoman Eileen Cox, a principal can make purchases at his or her discretion. The school’s bookkeeper does not sign off on those purchases and they are submitted directly to the finance department. As the audit of Hollemon’s spending began, the school division instituted a new policy where purchases had to be signed off on by an assistant superintendent.

The purchases, item descriptions and vendors listed in the spending reports did not appear to be out of line with what is normally used in the school, Cox said Thursday. “It was after staff members at the school raised attention to irregularities, that what was being purchased was not being used at the school, that we began our investigation."

“This is not a case of (the finance department) knowing about it for months.”

Cox said while the allegations against Hollemon were reported to the police department in April, she was unsure of when the school division became aware of the allegations.

Hollemon had served as principal of Lafayette since May 2018, having first served as the school’s interim principal starting in August 2017, after the former principal Anita Swinton, resigned to take a position in W-JCC’s central office.

After her resignation, Hollemon was hired to work at John Tyler Community College about two weeks ago, according to the court filings.

If convicted, Hollemon faces as much as 20 years in prison and $2,500 in fines, according to the Virginia Code.

Ex-cheer gym staff member charged with embezzlement

The Front Royal Police Department has arrested a person formerly affiliated with Virginia Revolution Athletics, a Front Royal cheer gym, accusing her of embezzling money from the cheer gym’s business account.

Police Sgt. Jason Winner said that Donna Rogers, 59, of Front Royal, transferred $3,200 from the United Bank account of the cheer gym into her own personal United Bank account on Sept. 18 without having the authorization to do so.

“Donna was affiliated with the business, with Virginia Revolution Athletics, and both bank accounts were with United Bank here in the Town of Front Royal,” Winner said. “But again, she was not authorized to transfer that money from the business account to her personal bank account.”

When reached for comment, Rogers, who was arrested Feb. 15, hung up the phone.

According to an affidavit for a subpoena of bank records, Trisha Hart, the owner of Virginia Revolution Athletics, notified the police department on Oct. 18 that Rogers embezzled $13,700 over five bank transfers between July and September of 2018. Since then, Hart has sued Rogers in five separate civil lawsuits.

In a news release, Hart’s attorney, Phillip Griffin II, stated that Rogers “has been volunteering with” Virginia Revolution Athletics and Hart and Sole Shoe Company, both of which Hart owns, and has been “interfering with client contracts, usurping her local practice area and withholding various equipment, uniforms and shoes.”

But while police have inspected at least five bank transfers from Virginia Revolution Athletics into Rogers’ bank account, Rogers has only been charged with the $3,200 Sept. 18 bank transfer.

Rogers has a prior record of some financial crimes dating back to 1985, according to court records. Court records show she was charged in 1985 in Oklahoma with issuing bogus checks, and in 2007 in West Virginia of involvement in felony fraud schemes.

In addition, Rogers had a record of a 1988 embezzlement charge in Virginia, the court records show.

In a phone interview, Hart, who described Rogers as a former staff member for the cheer gym, said that she was aware of the 1988 case before Rogers began working at the gym.

“We did know of her 1988 charges, but that was 20 years ago,” Hart said. “Who would’ve thought she would do it again?”

Hart stated in an email that Rogers’s alleged embezzlement has had a significant impact on Virginia Revolution Athletics.

“The lost revenue has had significant consequences to our organization,” Hart stated. “It has impacted the local community greatly.”

Chester woman sentenced to 3 months in jail for embezzling $24,500 from elementary school PTA

A self-employed accountant who was elected treasurer of Elizabeth Scott Elementary School’s PTA pleaded guilty Thursday to embezzling $24,500 from the organization after earlier skipping her trial and fleeing to North Carolina.

After accepting her plea in Chesterfield County Circuit Court, Judge David E. Johnson sentenced Jessica L. Yeakey, 42, of Chester, to five years in prison with four years and nine months suspended, giving her three months to serve. The punishment exceeded discretionary sentencing guidelines, which called for probation and no incarceration.

Yeakey’s conviction this week came more than a year after she was declared a fugitive for skipping her Dec. 11, 2017, embezzlement trial. That proceeding had been rescheduled for Jan. 25, 2018, but she skipped a second time, said Chesterfield Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert J. Fierro Jr.

Authorities learned she traveled to North Carolina in January and entered a substance abuse recovery program in that state. She traveled back to the Richmond area Dec. 6 and was arrested by Richmond police on the warrant issued for her arrest for skipping trial.

Yeakey testified Thursday that she returned to the Richmond area to turn herself in, but Fierro said he didn’t have any way to independently verify that.

According to a summary of the case, the Scott Elementary PTA recruited Yeakey to be their treasurer in August 2016 based on her self-employment as the operator of an accounting firm called Jessica Yeakey Bookkeeping Services. Her Facebook page advertising the business said she had more than 15 years of experience in private and public accounting.

Before Yeakey assumed the treasurer’s position, the PTA performed an audit of their accounts in July 2016, Fierro said. When the school year began, the organization held a series of fundraising events that continued through March 2017.

“The leadership of this PTA maintained some very strong accounting procedures, which involved multiple individuals counting and verifying monies and checks that had come in at various fundraising events,” Fierro said. These procedures were carried out before turning over the collected funds to Yeakey, he added.

“She was entrusted to hold the sums until they could be deposited [into] a specific account that had been set up for this PTA,” Fierro explained.

However, Yeakey failed to make deposits beginning in October 2016 and “she made no further deposits after that time,” the prosecutor said.

That continued until March 2017, when PTA officials were able to determine how much money Yeakey had taken and failed to deposit — $24,545.49, Fierro said.

The PTA had $17,000 in the bank in January 2017, but that balance dropped to $275 by March. “So essentially the PTA ran out of money,” he said.

After being confronted about the missing funds, Yeakey would skip and postpone meetings, Fierro said, and she ultimately presented fabricated reports to the PTA board.

An audit was conducted and a member of the PTA’s leadership committee met with Yeakey at her home March 15 to recover all PTA records and journals. She resigned a day later.

Yeakey initially was cooperative and turned over about $14,000 of the missing $24,500. The funds were in random money rolls and checks that had been in her possession for months but not deposited, Fierro said.

The PTA then conducted a more detailed audit and discovered additional funds could not be accounted for. Police were called and investigators conducted a search of Yeakey’s home on March 21, 2017; they found some additional PTA checks and a money box with cash inside. That brought the amount of missing money down to $2,840.23, the prosecutor said.

“She initially told police that she really didn’t steal any money [and] that she was just overwhelmed in life and abusing alcohol,” Fierro said. “She promised to repay the missing money but failed to do so.”

As a condition of her sentence, the judge ordered Yeakey to make restitution in the amount of $2,840. She was also banned from any contact with Elizabeth Scott PTA.

Because Yeakey exceeded her authority in terms of how she handled the missing funds, she “technically did embezzle that full amount,” Fierro explained. “We were just fortunate enough to be able to recover” all but $2,840

Prosecutor estimates $200K was embezzled from Roanoke church

More details emerged this week about accusations of financial thefts from a Roanoke church.

The new information came at a Tuesday bond hearing for Amy Mauck Krohmer, who was indicted Jan. 7 on three counts of embezzlement.

The indictments say Krohmer, 43, is accused of taking money from West End United Methodist Church between April 2017 and last September. Her association with the church is unclear.

At Tuesday’s hearing, defense attorney Tony Anderson said Krohmer turned herself in after she was indicted, and online records show she has been held since she was booked Jan. 16.

In his arguments for bond restrictions, Roanoke assistant prosecutor Don Wolthuis said the church called for an independent audit of its finances, and he estimated it suffered a loss of about $200,000.

“The defendant has made admission of substantial thefts,” Wolthuis said in court.

Judge Chris Clemens granted Krohmer a bond of either $1,500 in cash or secured by at least $25,000 in assets. He also ordered her to live with her mother and said neither she nor her relatives may contact anyone from the church.

During the hearing, Wolthuis further pointed out separate cases from 2009, in which Krohmer was charged in Roanoke Circuit Court with embezzlement, credit card fraud and credit card theft, all felony offenses.

The fraud charge ultimately was reduced to a misdemeanor count of filing a fraudulent credit application, to which Kromer pleaded guilty. She got three months in jail, suspended after two weekends, and she also saw the two remaining felonies dropped.

A sentencing order filed in the 2009 case makes reference to a “re-payment agreement with G.E. Money Bank” but does not include a specific dollar amount.

Former church official avoids jail on embezzlement charges but must repay $180,000

A former chief financial officer and executive pastor for Roanoke’s New Century Church, who pleaded no contest to three counts of embezzling funds from the organization, will not have to serve time behind bars.

But William Jared Walters, 33, of Roanoke, is going to have to make regular efforts to pay back $180,000, according to his plea agreement.

About 30 members of the church were on hand Tuesday in Roanoke Circuit Court as Walters entered his pleas and was sentenced.

Roanoke Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Betty Jo Anthony said investigators estimate Walters actually took closer to $239,000, but they settled on $180,000 in exchange for the plea. That’s the amount they could prove, she said.

Walters was with the church from 2007 to 2015, and Anthony said he siphoned cash through check kiting, by using a church credit card to pay off personal debts, and by making loans to himself, often multiple times a day at thousands of dollars each.

Embezzlement is a Class 5 felony that can bring up to 20 years in prison, but Walters received six years total, entirely in suspended time.

“We almost never ask for or agree to no jail time, but this was a specific request of the church,” Anthony said.

Those six years are suspended against restitution, and on Tuesday, Walters paid $8,000 toward the church and also surrendered a $2,000 bond.

He has until August to turn in $12,000 more: $1,000 from his tax refund, $2,000 from a work bonus, $4,000 from real estate he said he is selling on Bent Mountain, and $5,000 from the sale of his car.

That still leaves approximately $158,000 owed, and starting in October he will be required to pay it off in increments of at least $500 a month.

At that rate, it will take a little over 25 years for the church to be made whole. As long as restitution is owed, Walters will remain on probation and could see his suspended time revoked if he misses a payment.

Judge David Carson addressed Walters’ lack of jail time and cautioned Walters that although he intended to honor the will of the victims, the agreement signified Walters’ second chance

“You have received all of those chances today. There will be no third chance,” he told Walters.

Although Walters’ promise of a work bonus indicates he is currently employed, defense attorney Rob Dean said he could not comment on Walters’ job status.

Walters also declined to say anything about the case in court.

In an emailed statement sent after the hearing, Dean wrote, “Mr. Walters maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and continues to do so. Mr. Walters nonetheless desired to resolve this matter so that all parties could move forward.”

After the hearing, New Century associate pastor Thomas Brown stressed that the loss was not just financial, but personal as well.

“He was one of my best friends. I’m the one who hired him,” Brown said of Walters. “We were never seeking out vengeance.

“I think the hardest thing is, no repentance was made. He still maintains his innocence. That’s the hardest thing.”

PTO president faces embezzlement charges

The Grace Miller Elementary School PTO president stole approximately $8,000 from the organization over eight months, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s investigators Tuesday charged Kiley Morgan Gonzalez, 29, of Bealeton, with 10 counts of embezzlement and five counts of forgery and uttering, according to Sgt. James Hartman.

Another PTO officer filed a complaint that Ms. Gonzalez “had forged checks and made transfers involving the PTO account and a personal bank account,” Sgt. Hartman said. 

On Monday, Detective Candyce Shaw obtained warrants charging Ms. Gonzalez. The next day, the suspect, accompanied by her attorney, “turned herself in,” the sergeant said. She “was taken before a magistrate and released on her own recognizance.”

The crimes allegedly took place between October and this month

Embezzlement charges dropped against former Bruton High School bookkeeper

Six embezzlement charges have been dropped against Bruton High School’s former bookkeeper, who was accused of opening an unauthorized corporate credit account in the school’s name and making purchases with it over a span of four and a half years.

Prosecutors made a motion to drop the charges, including five felonies and a misdemeanor, against Charlene Flood-Liggon in York-Poquoson General District Court Tuesday afternoon.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jacob Lambert asked to drop the charges because the “commonwealth had insufficient evidence” in the case. The charges were nolle prossed, meaning the prosecution will not pursue the charges unless more evidence comes to light.

Flood-Liggon, 54, of Newport News, worked as a bookkeeper at Bruton High School, handling cash and checks from “every aspect” of the school, including athletics, arts, field trips and more, according to court documents.

According to the criminal complaint, Bruton High School’s principal, Arletha Dockery, started to become suspicious of Flood-Liggon when she noticed several years’ worth of cash deposits missing from the high school’s bank account.

The police investigation, which started last June, tied Flood-Liggon to $4,731.56 in purchases on an Amazon Corporate Credit account, court documents state. The purchases spanned from Dec. 14, 2011 to April 5, 2016.

The School Board terminated her employment when the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office opened the investigation, according to court documents.

When Dockery was cleaning out Flood-Liggon’s desk, she discovered an Amazon statement addressed to the former bookkeeper, documents state.

“While Dockery has only been principal at BHS for one year, she did not recall there being an authorized account for the school,” the criminal complaint states.

The account was created by Flood-Liggon “under the guise of purchasing for BHS,” and the bookkeeper opened a line of credit in the school’s name, the document states.

Dockery worked directly with Amazon to get account statements from as far back as December 2011, which were all addressed to Flood-Liggon using the school’s address at 185 E. Rochambeau Drive, according to the criminal complaint.

Flood-Liggon was charged on Aug. 3 with six counts of embezzlement, at the completion of the investigation.

New trial date set for travel agent accused of embezzlement

Augustine Acheampong, a former travel agent accused of embezzling money from several Smithfield High School families, will stand trial on Feb. 27, according to an Isle of Wight County Circuit Court document.

Commonwealth's Attorney Georgette Phillips called to have Acheampong’s bond revoked in August, after his July arrest on charges of marijuana distribution, manufacturing a controlled substance and resisting arrest. However, the judge declined to revoke Acheampong’s bond, since he had not yet been convicted of the charges.

Acheampong is facing 65 charges of embezzlement, related to a planned Europe trip for Smithfield High School students that never happened, but for which he collected payments.

Ex-Northside High School football coach faces embezzlement charges

A Roanoke County grand jury indicted former Northside High School football coach Burt Torrence on Friday on charges of embezzlement dating back to 2012, according to online court records.

Torrence, hired last summer as an assistant football coach at Heritage High School, was indicted on four counts of embezzlement of public funds, four counts of embezzlement and four counts of obtaining money by false pretenses, online records show. All of the charges are felonies.

The offense dates, according to online records, range from February 2012 to February 2015.

The commonwealth's attorney, Randy Leach, declined to comment Friday. A schools spokesman, Chuck Lionberger, said the district does not comment on personnel matters, pending legal matters or pending investigations.

Torrence, who coached at Northside for 10 years and won two state championships, resigned his coaching position earlier this year. In April, he told the Roanoke County School Board that he collected a stipend to coach outdoor track but didn't complete the work. He volunteered to repay the stipends. A police investigation began the next day.

In an interview in June, Torrence backed away from his April comments, saying he did not admit wrongdoing when he spoke to the school board. His attorney, Les Bowers, said in June that Torrence was innocent.


"He, in fact, is completely innocent and has maintained his innocence all along," Bowers said in June. "My understanding ... is he said, 'If anyone thinks I did anything wrong, I'll pay it back.' But he doesn't think that he did [anything wrong]. ... We're not talking about a big amount of money."

Reached late Friday afternoon, Bowers said he was just seeing the news and was not yet prepared to comment.

Torrence was hired by Lynchburg City Schools to teach history and serve as an assistant football coach at Heritage High School beginning in August. Spokeswoman Cindy Babb said Torrence has been placed on administrative leave.

Former PTA treasurer charged with embezzlement

A former parent volunteer at Paul Munro Elementary School has been arrested and charged with six counts of embezzlement.

Jennifer Marie Musick, 40, turned herself in to the Lynchburg Police Department on Thursday. The charges relate to the theft of more than $31,000 from the Paul Munro Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Association. She served as treasurer of the PTA during the 2014-15 school year.

She no longer is PTA treasurer nor is she a member of the PTA at Paul Munro, according to another PTA board member.

According to the Blue Ridge Regional Jail online records, Musick is accused of embezzling from the PTA fund in August 2012, twice in 2013 and once more in 2014.

“PTA and PTO funds are not controlled or maintained by any Lynchburg City Schools personnel. These funds are managed solely by volunteers of the schools. Additionally, LCS does not have authority over PTA or PTO leadership,” Lynchburg City Schools spokeswoman Cindy Babb said in a news release Thursday.

Current Paul Munro Elementary School PTA President Christie Hooper said the PTA became aware of possible financial issues in the fall of 2015, when Virginia PTA contacted the school about unpaid membership dues. According to Hooper, Virginia PTA said it had not received dues for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years.

“That’s what alarmed us,” Hooper said.

It led members to look more closely at the PTA's two bank accounts. One account funds some classroom expenses for teachers and things like student field trips, plays and reading incentives. A second account, created to maintain funds for a new playground for the school’s 50th anniversary holds special project funds.

Hooper said the PTA obtained access to the accounts in the fall and someone had “basically dried our bank accounts clean.”

Hooper said although the money has not been recovered, the financial loses will not impact teachers or students. The PTA has held several successful fundraisers this year.

“Paul Munro has an active PTA with strong parental involvement. Paul Munro and LCS value these important partnerships with parents and the community, and we will continue to encourage parental involvement in our schools; however, this recent unfortunate incident of misconduct serves as a reminder that all community organizations must engage in best practices and remain accountable to one another so that funds are used appropriately.”

Hooper said the experience has made the new PTA stronger than ever, and inspired many to rally behind the school. It has also led the PTA to change its policies and procedures putting in place numerous precautions.

The PTA has rewritten its bylaws, appointed both a treasurer and treasurer-elect who jointly are responsible for finances, requires no less than three signatures on every check, implemented a nepotism policy and requires that all cash handled at fundraisers be counted by all members.

“Now we have more than just one pair of eyes doing it,” Hooper said.

Chickahominy Baptist Church Treasurer Sentenced to Five Years for Embezzlement in Virginia

A James City County woman was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzling money from Chickahominy Baptist Church.

Alice Rebecca Wilson, 57, was arrested in June 2014 after investigators determined she had embezzled more than $4,800 from the church, of which she was the treasurer at the time.

Wilson used part of the church to run her daycare business, Alice’s Wonderland. Investigators with the James City County Police Department said she had an agreement with the church to pay utility bills from her personal funds in exchange for using the church’s space, but in fact she was using the church’s checking account to pay the bills.

The church’s pastor was contacted by the Internal Revenue Service in January 2014 regarding back taxes, at which point he began to investigate the church’s finances. He discovered the utility bill payments during that investigation, prompting him to approach Wilson, investigators said.

Though charges against Wilson were dropped in September 2014 due to lack of evidence, they were brought back two months later and she went to trial last September.

Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court Judge Michael McGinty found there was sufficient evidence Wilson had committed felony embezzlement but decided to withhold officially making a finding of guilt until after a pre-sentence report could be prepared.

Wilson reappeared before the court Wednesday. Defense Attorney Ivan Fehrenbach called her son to testify as a character witness on her behalf in the hopes the judge would be persuaded to reduce her felony charge to a misdemeanor.

“I developed my work ethic from her,” Ryland Wilson said of his mother. “She’s the backbone of our family.”

Fehrenbach argued that in addition to being a good mother, Wilson is also a notably civic-minded individual.

“She’s the only client I’ve ever had that has asked me about her voting rights if she is convicted of a felony,” Fehrenbach said. “She takes her role in the community very seriously.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Joshua DeFord focused on the fact the embezzlement charge stems from a series of decisions rather than a single lapse in judgment in his argument for the prosecution.

“This was not a situation where you have one bad choice. You had several bad choices,” DeFord said.

Despite noting that Wilson’s record was “glowing” outside of this one criminal incident, McGinty ultimately sided with the prosecution and found Wilson guilty of the felony charge.

“The court views embezzlement as a serious crime because it is committed from a position of trust. It’s not like walking in and robbing a store,” McGinty said. “There is no question that [her crime] has had a devastating impact on [the Chickahominy Baptist Church] community.”

McGinty sentenced Wilson to five years in prison with all time suspended and ordered her to pay back $4,959.50 in restitution to the victims, that she had come to court prepared to pay back almost that entire amount on the spot.

Tazewell School employee sentenced on embezzlement charges in Virginia

A school employee in Tazewell County has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of embezzling more than $350,000 in school funding.

Commonwealth Attorney Dennis Lee said Willie Kathy Hicks, 56, of 301 Paramount Drive, North Tazewell, has been sentenced in the Tazewell County Circuit Court to five counts of embezzlement by a public officer.

Lee said Hicks was sentenced by the Honorable Jack S. Hurley and received a total sentence of 35 years. Hurley suspended 30 years and ordered that Hicks serve a total of five years in prison. In addition, Hicks was order to pay restitution to Tazewell County Public Schools in the amount of $359,867.36.

At the sentencing hearing, Lee said evidence presented indicated that Hicks had been employed with the Tazewell County Public Schools System for approximately 10 years prior to her being charged. In the time period between 2007 and 2014, Lee said Hicks embezzled funds provided to her in her official capacity from a variety of sources, including checks from school system retirees for insurance payments, funds for cheerleading, bake sales, and other school activities. Lee said the theft came to light when bank accounts for Tazewell Middle School were discovered to have been depleted.

The subsequent investigation by the Virginia State Police revealed that Hicks had systematically diverted checks, cash and money orders into her personal checking account. During the sentencing, Lee said Hicks admitted her guilt and indicated she embezzled these funds due to personal tragedies in her family.

“This prosecution was a joint effort by our office, Virginia State Police and Tazewell County Public Schools. Hicks systematically stole from retirees, school children and the taxpayers of Tazewell County and a lengthy prison sentence was appropriate. This result is a direct reflection of the hard work that went into this investigation by all agencies involved,” said Melanie Menefee, Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney.

The case was investigated by the Virginia State Police. This case was prosecuted by Commonwealth's Attorney Dennis Lee and Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Melanie Menefee.

Former city of Radford employee charged with embezzlement

A former city of Radford employee was arrested Monday and charged with embezzlement.

Bridget A. Lester, 38, of Radford, was employed at the Radford Recreation Department, according to a city news release. Lester was arrested and faces charges of embezzlement and misuse of public assets and an investigation that led to the charges showed the amount of funds in question to be $9,816.43, according to the release.

Lester faces 16 counts of embezzlement greater than $200 and one count of misuse of public asset.

The charges stem from an investigation that included dates between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30 , 2015, according to the release.

Va. Shore man guilty of selling school property on eBay

A former Northampton County School Board employee who said he “accidentally” sold items from the maintenance department on the Internet auction site eBay has pleaded guilty to misdemeanors as part of an agreement.

Shane Hunter Smith, 27, of Craddockville, was charged with embezzlement and attempted embezzlement. He took items from the school maintenance department where he worked as maintenance foreman and listed them for sale on eBay, said Commonwealth’s Attorney Bruce Jones.

Four items were sold and seven items were still listed, he said.

Jones identified the items as oil burner controls, water faucets, a power transformer and a safety switch.

Jones said he made the decision to reduce both charges to misdemeanors because he could not determine the monetary value of the items sold until he received a list that day.

“The defendant said he ‘accidentally’ posted the items sold on eBay,” said Jones. “He admitted the unsold items belonged to the school system.”

Jones said the value of the sold items was determined to be $503.47.

He said Smith had no previous criminal record, but said “even shoplifters in Northampton County get jail time.”

He called the plea agreement, “a pretty big break for Mr. Smith.” He called the crime “egregious” and “a breach of trust violated systematically and repeatedly.”

Defense attorney Thomas Northam said his client had no previous record and said Smith’s former and present employers spoke highly of him.

He asked that Smith receive a suspended sentence so “he can work and pay back the county.”

“You took property that didn’t belong to you from your employer,” said Judge W. Revell Lewis III. “I don’t think this is a case where a person should not see the inside of a jail.”

He sentenced Smith to six months on each of the two charges and suspended all but ten days on each.

“You will have 20 days to serve,” he told Smith. “You may serve it on weekends.”

He ordered Smith to pay restitution to the county.

Former Radford University employee charged with embezzlement

 Court records show Tammy Saunders has been charged with several counts of taking money from the university. Documents state that between December of 2012 through last year, Saunders allegedly stole thousands of dollars. Radford said in an email that Saunders no longer is employed

MHS Athletic Director, 2 Others Plead Guilty to Embezzlement in Virginia

Monticello High School athletic director Fitzgerald Barnes admitted in Charlottesville Federal Court Friday to being part of a bid rigging scheme when buying sports equipment for his school's teams.

The fraud also involves David Deane, vice president of Albemarle County-based Downtown Athletics, and Charles Phillips, an equipment vendor in Maryland. All three men pleaded guilty, each to one federal misdemeanor charge.

The case – and - fraud may extend back for years. From 2008 to 2010, federal prosecutors say, Barnes, Deane, and Phillips schemed to get around Albemarle County's policy that requires three competitive bids for purchases over $1,000.

Investigators say the men arranged for Monticello High School to get two fictitious bids, and one lower one from Downtown Athletics, to insure Downtown Athletics would get the business. The purchases involved athletic apparel and equipment all bound for Monticello High School.

"Based on what we learned from the U.S. attorney office they said that there has not been any financial injury to the school system,” said Matthew Haas, assistant superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools.

In court Friday morning, all three men waived the right to be indicted and go to trial, instead admitting their parts and pleading guilty to the bid-rigging plan.

Barnes, who is also a Louisa County supervisor, will pay a $750 fine and is on administrative leave as athletic director at Monticello, pending a review by the school system. Phillips will pay a $350 fine and Dean's fine is $1,500.

Department of Justice, United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy Western District of Virginia Press Release

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA – Three men, including the athletic director at Monticello High School and the vice president of Downtown Athletic Store, pled guilty this morning in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia to a federal misdemeanor charge related to bid rigging.

In separate hearings this morning in Federal Court, Fitzgerald Arnette Barnes, 50, of Louisa, Va., David Mayhew Deane, 54, of Keswick, Va., and Charles Albert Phillips, 48, of Annapolis, Md., waived their right to be indicted and pled guilty to a one-count Information charging each with one count of knowingly embezzling money belonging to the United States.

“When school officials spend taxpayer dollars, they must comply with procurement rules that encourage competition and ensure that schools obtain the best possible price,” United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said today. “These three individuals worked together to circumvent these important procurement regulations by creating dummy bids for athletic apparel and equipment. This case demonstrates our continuing commitment to ensuring that public funds are responsibly handled.”

Barnes, the athletic director at Monticello High School, has admitted to being involved with Deane, the Vice President of Downtown Athletic, and Phillips, the Vice President of Sales for Team Distributor, a sports apparel retailer in Maryland, in a scheme to fix bids on athletic apparel purchased for Monticello

The three have admitted that between August 2008 and August 2010 they fraudulently created price bids that were used as the basis for contracts involving the sale of athletic equipment and apparel from Downtown Athletic to Monticello High School. Albemarle County policy requires a bid from three different vendors when entering into contracts with private companies for goods and services which cost more than $1000.

Over the course of several years, Barnes directed Deane to obtain and submit to Monticello High School the three required bids, one bid for Downtown Athletic and two representing other, fictitious retailers, ensuring Downtown Athletic would be awarded the contract.

On several occasions, Deane contacted Phillips and asked him to also submit false bids to Monticello High School that were higher than the bid submitted by Downtown Athletic Store. After receiving the two false and one authentic bid, Barnes awarded multiple contracts for the sale of athletic apparel and equipment to Deane and Downtown Athletic.

Following today's guilty plea hearing, all three defendants were sentenced. Phillips was ordered to pay a $350 fine, Barnes was ordered to pay a $750 fine and Deane was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy and Assistant United States Attorney Ronald Huber prosecuted the case for the United States.

Woman indicted on embezzlement from Scouts in Virginia

A grand jury meeting in Accomack County on Monday, Aug. 4, indicted a 33-year-old woman on five counts of embezzlement from three local Scouting organizations.

Angela L. Taylor, for whom court documents list a Virginia Beach address, was indicted on one count of embezzling $200 or more from Girl Scout Troop 393, one count of embezzling $200 or more from Grace United Methodist Church Boy Scout Troop 303 and three counts of embezzling $200 of more from Grace United Methodist Church Cub Scout Pack 300.

The charges are related to activity dating to between October 2011 and November 2013.

Some charges dropped in Poe Middle School embezzlement case in Virginia

Charges were dropped Monday against a former Fairfax County principal’s son, who was accused of being part of an embezzlement scheme that allegedly defrauded a middle school of more than $100,000.

Brenton Rusnak, 21, of Radford, Va., had been charged with receiving stolen property and conducting an unlawful financial transaction in connection with the case at Annandale’s Poe Middle School. A Fairfax County prosecutor did not indicate during a hearing in General District Court why authorities were not going forward with the case.

Sonya Swansbrough, 47, Rusnak’s mother and the former principal, is still facing an embezzlement charge for allegedly falsifying timesheets for personal gain while she headed the school, but a charge against her of conducting an unlawful financial transaction was also dropped Monday.

Bethany Speed, a former financial specialist at Poe, had her charge amended from embezzlement to grand larceny in the case.

The next hearings for Swansbrough and Speed are on Aug. 25 and Aug. 21, respectively.

A new principal was appointed at Poe in June.

Arraignment set for former Virginia edu. association leader

Another court date is set for a Smithfield woman charged with embezzling more than $43,200 from the Isle of Wight County Education Association, an organization that she once led.

After having already been indicted by a grand jury on July 14, Stephanie Bailey is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, July 30, in Isle of Wight County Circuit Court on a charge of embezzlement, according to the docket posted at the Virginia Courts website www.courts.state.va.us.

As previously reported, Bailey had been president of the Isle of Wight Education Association from 2006 until August 2013.

Prompted by a call from the Virginia Education Association, the Smithfield Police conducted an investigation. This in turn led to Bailey’s arrest on Feb. 3. She reportedly brought herself in that day and was released on her recognizance. That means Bailey signed a document stating she’d be in court on an appointed day.

At the time, Lt. Patrick Valdez of the Smithfield Police Department said, “Her claim was she gave the money to the homeless and students in need.”

He said that the money came from dues that Bailey had been collecting.

“But she won’t give any names. I think that’s going to be the crux. She was unable to answer satisfactorily. Had she receipts… but she’s unable to account for any of it.”

As before, the Isle of Wight County School system declined comment.

“In regards to Stephanie Bailey, Isle of Wight County Schools is unable to make any statement as it is an ongoing legal matter,” said Kenita Bowers, spokeswoman.

Bowers had previously confirmed that Bailey was a school nurse at Windsor High School at the time of the arrest, but is no longer an employee of the system.

Search Warrant Has Revealed New Details in Church Embezzlement Case

 In June we told you about a woman charged with embezzling money from Saint Marks Lutheran Church, and there is new information in her case.

This information is about Ellen Fields, not Edith, like originally reported, took the money, and just how much.

New information about the case shows that fields served as the church secretary and treasurer, and had full control of the church's accounts.It was found that she paid many personal bills out of these accounts. Investigators also found that over $30,000 were embezzled from the church checking account, and about $16,000 from the church's Visa account.

It turns out the embezzlement began in 2008, and lasted until May of this year. She already has indictments from the church's checking account, but will be facing more from the the church's Visa account.