Former Mt. Gilead-Improve Water Association President Marcus Hull was sentenced to 20 years in prison with 10 years to serve on Friday for embezzling more than $100,000 from the water association. He pled guilty to the matter on Nov. 13. Hull appeared before Circuit Court Judge Clarence McDonald both times.
Hull was arrested on Jan. 10, 2019. An audit by the TMH accounting firm revealed the water association took in $370,000 in revenue fiscal year ending June 30, 2018. The net balance of the account was $24,528. The auditing firm found there was a cash balance of $270,000.
The vice president of the water association, Bill Bolton, appeared before the judge on Friday. He said, for the president of the water association to embezzle more than $120,000 from the association, it has taken two years to get the trust of the customers back.
“We want to see some jail time. We think it is only fair and right. Everyone going by his house and sees where he lives and sees where some of the money went, it is a slap in the face,” he said.
He said steps have been taken to ensure something like this cannot happen again.
The embezzlement was discovered by members of the association recognizing discrepancies in the finances and requested an audit. Once the audit was complete, the matter was turned over to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
“I made a grave mistake. I started doing what I was supposed to do and got sidetracked. I apologize to the water association,” Hull said in court.
“The situation is you held a position of trust on the water board and violated the position of trust,” McDonald said, speaking to Hull.
After he finished speaking to Hull, McDonald sentenced him to 20 years with 10 years to be incarcerated and the remaining 10 years to serve under post-release supervision provisions. McDonald further ordered that Hull is to not serve in a position of financial trust during the 10 years of post-release supervision.
