An Alabama lady has been accused of stealing almost $500,000 from a Georgia householders affiliation (HOA) the place she had been property supervisor.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) stated the girl, 66-year-old Shirley Brown of Eastaboga, Calhoun County, had been working as property supervisor for the Mirror Lakes Householders Affiliation in Villa Rica, Georgia, since 2014.
Villa Rica is situated 35 miles west of downtown Atlanta.
As a part of her function, she had entry to the householders affiliation’s checking account, which she managed. She additionally had the facility to simply accept the house affiliation’s funds, pay payments and make deposits.
Based on the GBI, the girl didn’t take the staggering sum of money out of the checking account in a single go—however began stealing the residents’ cash years in the past.
In February 2021, the affiliation’s new governing board first observed that $189,000 was lacking. In the identical month, the GBI stated it was contacted by the Villa Rica Police Division and requested to research.
After an official audit into the affiliation’s funds, investigators discovered that Brown had allegedly stolen $498,815 between January 2015 and January 2021. The GBI says that Brown wrote herself unauthorized checks claiming they had been for bonuses and trip pay.
She was arrested this week and charged with one depend of theft by taking however has been launched from the Carroll County Jail, as confirmed to Newsweek by a spokesperson for the jail.
The GBI continues to research the case, and is asking anybody with data to contact the Villa Rica Police Division at (770) 459-5149 or the GBI Area 2 Subject Workplace at (706) 565-7888.
As soon as the GBI investigation is full, the case shall be handed over to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Legal professional’s Workplace for prosecution.
The penalty of theft by taking in Georgia will be both a misdemeanor, in circumstances through which the theft totals $500 or much less, or a felony, if the worth of what is stolen or cash taken is greater than that.
Whereas misdemeanor can lead to a positive of not more than $1000 and a jail sentence of not more than 12 months, a felony is punished with a jail sentence of at least one 12 months and not more than ten years.
Brown’s alleged theft is being handled as a felony.
Newsweek has reached out to the GBI and the Mirror Lake Householders Affiliation for remark.
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