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Written by K Bishop
Published October 4, 2022 @ 1:08 PM ET
Effingham County – A woman who stole over $600,000 in charity funds, gambling away tens of thousands, was sentenced in Effingham County’s Superior Court on August 29. Her sentence included 90 days in jail to be served on weekends.
Judge Michael Muldrew sentenced Carole Durden Shealy to 10 years probation, weekend jail time totaling 90 days, over $350,000 in restitution paid to ‘Mission on the Move,’ the charity from which Shealy stole, and over $30,000 to the director of the charity.
Shealy is required to participate in treatment for gambling addiction and to follow the terms of her probation. If she violates her probation, she will be sentenced to two years in prison.
Shealy, who was the office manager for ‘Mission on the Move‘ stole and gambled away the charity funds between 2016 and 2019. The funds were meant to benefit children living in poverty in Mexico and Honduras. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation built a case against Shealy beginning in March of 2019 when the children’s charity discovered the theft.
A former director of the charity, who traveled as a missionary for the Christian organization, filed a complaint against Shealy in July of 2021 claiming Shealy secured a credit card for herself on his line of credit and stole another credit card from an office safe. Stephen Shearouse claimed losses of $57,248.
Court records show that Effingham State Court Judge Jason Bragg ordered a Levy and Seizure of Shealy’s property and possessions in a separate case in May of 2021 as a result of a complaint filed by Bank of America. Shealy owed nearly $20,000 for an unpaid credit card balance.