Former Jackson Co. clerk accused of stealing $890,000
A former Jackson County employee is charged with embezzling $890,000. The indictment against Ginger Lashley, 50, released Tuesday accuses her of using her position as a clerk to steal money from 2001 until November 2009 when she was fired and arrested.
The indictment alleges Lashley diverted county money into a personal savings account at a local bank. That account, entitled "Jackson County Food Drive," received regular deposits of county checks according to court papers.
Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said bank officials became suspicious of the account in 2009 and alerted investigators. Byrd said the frequency and size of the deposits seemed suspect. He added there is no official county account for a "Jackson County Food Drive."
Lashley was first accused last year of stealing $125,000 of county money. However, as investigators dug deeper, the amount of money that disappeared from county coffers grew.
State Auditor Stacy Pickering said his office issued a demand against Lashley for $1,232,579.73, which includes the amount she is accused embezzling along with investigative costs.
"This is one of the largest embezzlement cases we've investigated by the State Auditor's Office and represents a significant loss to taxpayers of Jackson County," Pickering said.
Jackson County Board President Mike Mangum said since the investigation started, the County has implemented safe guards to prevent this type of activity from happening again.
"As public servants, we take this situation very seriously and understand our first responsibility is to be good stewards of the taxpayer's money," Mangum said.
Lashley began working for the county in 1998. Investigators say the embezzlement began in 2001 when Lashley was working in the Accounts Payable office.
WLOX
A former Jackson County employee is charged with embezzling $890,000. The indictment against Ginger Lashley, 50, released Tuesday accuses her of using her position as a clerk to steal money from 2001 until November 2009 when she was fired and arrested.
The indictment alleges Lashley diverted county money into a personal savings account at a local bank. That account, entitled "Jackson County Food Drive," received regular deposits of county checks according to court papers.
Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said bank officials became suspicious of the account in 2009 and alerted investigators. Byrd said the frequency and size of the deposits seemed suspect. He added there is no official county account for a "Jackson County Food Drive."
Lashley was first accused last year of stealing $125,000 of county money. However, as investigators dug deeper, the amount of money that disappeared from county coffers grew.
State Auditor Stacy Pickering said his office issued a demand against Lashley for $1,232,579.73, which includes the amount she is accused embezzling along with investigative costs.
"This is one of the largest embezzlement cases we've investigated by the State Auditor's Office and represents a significant loss to taxpayers of Jackson County," Pickering said.
Jackson County Board President Mike Mangum said since the investigation started, the County has implemented safe guards to prevent this type of activity from happening again.
"As public servants, we take this situation very seriously and understand our first responsibility is to be good stewards of the taxpayer's money," Mangum said.
Lashley began working for the county in 1998. Investigators say the embezzlement began in 2001 when Lashley was working in the Accounts Payable office.
WLOX
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