Kermi Tina LedfordThe former Murray County, Georgia, Probate Court chief clerk will report to jail Monday after pleading guilty to pocketing at least $100,000 meant for the government.
Kermi Tina Ledford, 50, of Chatsworth, re-routed funds from the court's account to her personal account at some point before 2010, Conasauga Judicial Circuit District Attorney Bert Poston said in a news release. He said investigators found that she edited receipts and disbursements in the court computers, hiding any evidence that she was skimming money.
Poston said he learned about the investigation after CJT Software tried to upgrade the court's computers. While trying to verify data in the system, they noticed some discrepancies they could not figure out. They then secretly installed a "trigger" in the system, which would save any deleted data, as well as the date and time the data was deleted.
The company then realized that Ledford frequently manipulated the information plugged into the computer, raising suspicion. After the company's president called him, according to the release, Poston asked members of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into Ledford.
Investigators kept tabs on both Ledford's and the court's bank accounts. They also pulled computer records.
In February 2017, according to the release, investigators got a search warrant. Around her work area, they found money that had been removed from cash bonds delivered to the court. They also found cash in her car and at her home, with wrappers used by the court.
An audit of her bank records found that she deposited $45,000 from the court's account to her own. She used some of the money on her home mortgage and her vehicle loan payments.
During an interview at the time, Poston said, Ledford told investigators she took $100 from the court once to pay a power bill. But the district attorney added that, as part of her plea, Ledford admitted that she took at least $100,000.
She pleaded guilty Monday to felony theft of government funds by a government employee. She will serve one year in prison, followed by nine months on probation. She also must pa $100,000 in restitution to Murray County, by voluntarily forfeiting her retirement benefit.