The State Auditor’s Office has arrested a Foxworth woman and charged her with allegedly embezzling money from the Oloh Fire Protection District.
Jessica Delancey, 34, allegedly wrote checks to herself for $68,719 more than she was owed from February 2013 to July 2018, according to the auditor’s office.
She is the second former secretary/treasurer of the Lamar County volunteer fire department to be indicted in the past year. Delancey’s predecessor, Michelle Barefoot, was arrested in October and issued a $40,693 embezzlement demand.
Delancey was released from the Lamar County Jail Friday after posting a $10,000 bond. If convicted of embezzlement, she faces up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
The auditor’s office said Delancey began work in 2012 under contract to receive a $100 monthly payment plus a $50 per diem each time the fire protection board met. Account discrepancies were reported by the Lamar County Board of Supervisors, the auditor’s office said.
The auditor’s office said she was allowed unsupervised access to the fire protection district’s accounts.
"This is, once again, an example of someone working in a small government office abusing their power over the checkbook for significant personal gain,” State Auditor Shad White said in a news release. “When funds intended for law enforcement or a fire department are stolen, it jeopardizes the safety of the community. We will continue to identify people who put their communities at risk in this way and hold them accountable."
The auditor’s office issued a $100,294 demand letter, which includes interest and investigative costs, and Delancey was covered by a $50,000 surety bond. A bond acts as a form of insurance to help recover stolen public funds.
The auditor’s office said a grand jury assembled by District Attorney Hal Kittrell indicted Delancey.
