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Audit reveals 2 former South Pittsburg housing workers lived large on public funds

State officials say almost $230,000 was stolen from the South Pittsburg Housing Authority and the South Pittsburg Elderly Housing Authority over a four-year period by two employees, former accounting director Janice Brooks and former public housing manager Leslie Jackson. The case in South Pittsburg, Tenn., was the subject of a special investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller's Office.
State officials say almost $230,000 was stolen from the South Pittsburg Housing Authority and the South Pittsburg Elderly Housing Authority over a four-year period by two employees, former accounting director Janice Brooks and former public housing manager Leslie Jackson. The case in South Pittsburg, Tenn., was the subject of a special investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller's Office. State officials say almost $230,000 was stolen from the South Pittsburg Housing Authority and the South Pittsburg Elderly Housing Authority over a four-year period by two employees, former accounting director Janice Brooks and former public housing manager Leslie Jackson. The case in South Pittsburg, Tenn., was the subject of a special investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller's Office.

By Ben Benton 5 min read

State officials say two former employees of the South Pittsburg (Tenn.) Housing Authority and the South Pittsburg Elderly Housing Authority were living large on public funds that paid for trips to Las Vegas, New Orleans and Chicago and built a pool pavilion at a private home.

The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office investigation accuses former accounting director Janice Brooks and former housing manager Leslie Jackson of stealing $228,980 from the authorities between Dec. 21, 2009, and Jan. 15, 2014, according to a news release.

photo List of total misappropriations.

Brooks was charged in Marion County grand jury indictments with one count of theft over $60,000 and one count of theft over $10,000, while Jackson was charged with one count of theft over $1,000. Brooks is free on a $100,000 bond and Jackson is free on $6,500 bond.

According to special investigation documents released Tuesday, Brooks made more than $100,000 in purchases on the housing authority’s credit card, which included more than $18,000 worth of gas, almost $14,000 in lodging bills in New Orleans and Las Vegas, nearly the same amount on a trip to Texas, $12,000 in cellphone charges, $2,268 for satellite television services and another $15,000 or so on clothing, an iPad, groceries and restaurant bills.

Brooks also spent $629 on a two-night stay and room service at the MGM Resort Gold Strike and issued fraudulent checks to herself totaling at least $25,000 on the two housing authorities’ bank accounts and almost $2,500 in unearned payroll checks, documents show.