GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. — A former Georgia public works employee who admitted to using county-issued credit cards for his personal gain has learned his fate.
Almost a year ago, Glynn County police began investigating William Harold Richards, 51, of Brunswick. Richards was a former supervisor in the Glynn County Department of Public Works.
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Glynn County officials identified suspicious transactions on Richards’ and other county employees’ issued credit cards.
During the investigation and by Richards’ own admission, he used the county-issued credit cards for his personal gain.
He was arrested and charged with theft by conversion over $290,000.
On Monday, Richards pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and to serve three years of supervised release upon his prison release.
“As part of his guilty plea to the federal charge, Richards acknowledged that he “used the proceeds of this fraudulent scheme to make numerous personal purchases, including the purchase of lottery tickets,” according to the Southern District of Georgia Attorney’s Office.
Richards is ordered to pay $422,168 in restitution, which is the money he illegally gained from the fraudulent charges using county purchasing cards.
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Richards has worked for Glynn County since August 2010, starting as an administrative technician. He has held the positions of supply assistant, which he was appointed to in November 2018, and administrative supervisor, which he held from May 2018 until the investigation.
“Taxpayers rightly expect employees of their government agencies to handle public money responsibly,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “William Richards did the opposite by defrauding taxpayers and enriching himself at their expense, and he is being held accountable for his crime.”
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