Sherry Turner-Seila, 52, will also have to fork over $118,451.80 in restitution to Oconee County where she led the HR department in Georgia. “Turner-Seila is paying a serious penalty for abusing the public’s trust by stealing taxpayer money,” said Charles Edward "Charlie" Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
Turner-Seila had access to the county’s payroll system and from July 6, 2016 to July 5, 2019, she exploited her position to temporarily change a former worker’s direct deposit information to her own direct deposit information. Through this scheme, Turner-Seila had stolen more than $118,000 from the county’s taxpayers.
“Turner-Seila’s choice to abuse her position of trust not only hurt taxpayers and co-workers, it eroded the public’s trust in government,” said Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta. “Now she must pay a serious penalty, which hopefully sends a message to the public that her actions will not be tolerated or go unpunished.”