Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Updated - Housing Authority Arrest

The executive director of the Thomaston Housing Authority, Sherry Darlene McDaniel, 43, and her husband Lance McDaniel, 57, were arrested Monday following their indictment by a federal grand jury in Macon on fraud charges. Steven Wayne Williams, 49, an employee of Lance McDaniel Painting, was also named in the indictment and arrested. The 30 count indictment was signed on July 14, 2011. McDaniel has been placed on administrative leave.

The Thomaston Housing Authority Board will hold a called meeting later this week to determine McDaniel’s status and possibly name an interim executive director. McDaniel has been the executive director since October 1, 2009.

Board Chairman, Jim Richards said the indictments are a result of an investigation that has been ongoing for about a year and that no board members or other employees of the Housing Authority have been involved.

Williams allegedly conspired with Lance McDaniel to create a fictitious paint contracting company known as Steve Williams Painting. The two used the fictitious company to obtain contracts with the Thomaston Housing Authority during the period of time from September 3, 2007 until July 8, 2010. Steve Williams Painting received 28 checks totaling $137,155.00 that the indictment alleges he turned over to Lance McDaniel.

All three have been charged with theft from an organization receiving federal funds and theft of government money. Sherry Darlene McDaniel was also charged with using a Thomaston Housing Authority Visa card to make personal purchases of $2,632.00. The card was used at various businesses in the Thomaston area, the purchase of airline tickets from Delta, Hertz Rental Car and for expenses at Harrah’s Casino in Tunica, Mississippi on Monday, April 19, 2010.

5 comments:

  1. Kudos to the feds for holding those who abuse their positions and our tax money responsible for their crimes.

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  2. Are there any semi-honest people in the employee of our government ??? Are any of our government agencies free of leadership without their own "BLACK hearted" illicit personal gain at the expense of the tax payers? We (the taxed w/o representation) are stuck with the outrageous salaries that few if any actually earn, who spend their idle hours at their jobs conspiring new scams to bilk us all. How much more corruption goes unchecked and unreported?? STAND UP AND SMELL THE ROSES PEOPLE WE ARE IN TROUBLE AT EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT FINIS

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  3. Settle down, PATRIOT. I would ask the same question of business and people in general. Yes, there are honest, semi-honest, and corrupt people in all walks of life. Please take a moment to look at what you can do with your own life to help others. Thank you to any and everyone (probably many gov't workers) who discovered, reported, and followed-up on this issue.

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  4. Allegedly this couple has left the state so the husband could try out for American Idol.

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  5. The husband...American Idol? Seriously!!!!

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