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Written by: E. George
Published June 20, 2024 @ 3:30 PM ET
HALL COUNTY, Ga. – On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard’s 24-count indictment was unsealed. A grand jury indicted her on charges of producing false statements and theft by taking.
Woodard allegedly spent government funds on personal expenses, such as pricey earbuds, pillows, noise-reducing headphones, jewelry repair, and her dog’s cremation.
Precious Memories Crematory’s Rick Farmer recalled the $190 fee and stated, “It was paid to me for her dog.”
According to FOX 5 I-Team’s year-and-a-half-long investigation, Woodard also purchased baseball caps promoting Governor Brian Kemp’s reelection campaign, $7,000 worth of meals for herself and her staff, and a $1,430 SAT preparation class.
The team reported instances of “double-dipping,” like Woodard’s double-filing of expense reports to gain reimbursement twice. One included a food and parking expense report from the 2022 Jekyll Island Prosecuting Attorneys Council Summer Conference, in which she filed identical reports to Hall County and then to the conference organizers.
Emory University ethics expert Edward Queen said, “This shows the kind of callous disregard not only for her office, not only for her oath of office but the people she’s supposed to be protecting and helping.”
Previously, Woodard offered an apology, stating, “Unfortunately, some personal education expenses and other items submitted were confused as victim expenses by mistake – and have since been reimbursed by me personally. This oversight is personally and professionally embarrassing.”
Recently, however, Woodard’s attorneys, Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, shared the following statement: “The decision by the Attorney General’s Office to institute charges against her in this absurd indictment is unfathomable and a waste of court time and taxpayer dollars. She absolutely committed no crime, but yet she has been viciously pursued by the GBI for years.
They have harassed her family, including her children, during which time the agents were aware of ongoing severe health issues that they were facing.”
Woodard was appointed solicitor general by then-governor Sonny Perdue in 2008 and has gained reelection four times. She prosecuted low-level cases, including misdemeanors, traffic offenses, ordinance violations, simple battery crimes, and DUIs. She now faces 24 felony counts, consisting of 11 counts of theft by taking and 13 counts of producing false statements.
Officials summed up the funds she illegally took from public coffers to almost $4,200. Records indicated that she had reimbursed some, roughly $2,000, of what she owed.
In 2022, Attorney General Chris Carr requested that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation delve into Woodard’s case. The attorney general’s action resulted from FOX 5 I-Team’s investigation, which revealed that Woodard spent thousands of dollars intended to aid crime victims on personal and family expenses.
Carr stated, “On several occasions, [Woodard is] alleged to have unlawfully acquired funds from Hall County and the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia (PAC) to cover personal and unrelated expenses.”
He explained that his office’s Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit submitted evidence to the grand jury on June 12.
The GBI concluded its investigation in late 2023. A search warrant revealed that the GBI aimed to obtain Woodard’s bank account documents, credit card statements, personal calendars, court calendars, “stolen or embezzled property,” and her cellular phone.
Despite the lengthy criminal investigation, Woodard has not vacated the office. State law requires a governor-appointed panel to decide whether or not to remove her.
Governor Kemp has the power to suspend her without pay until the case is completed. He would need to gather a three-person suspension panel two weeks after receiving the official indictment copy.
The panel would be allotted one month to submit their decision. Typically, Carr would assume the panel’s chairperson role; however, since he is prosecuting the case, the governor would need to choose another individual.
Carr stated, “Those elected to uphold the law must operate honestly, ethically, and transparently, and anything less undermines our system. Theft of taxpayer dollars and falsifying documents to cover up that theft are entirely unacceptable.
As with any case brought by our Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit, we follow the facts and evidence to ensure justice for the people of Georgia.”
GBI Director Chris Hosey said, “As a public official, Hall County citizens trusted Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard with their community’s interests. This indictment illustrates that no one is above the law and must be held accountable for their actions.
Working with our law enforcement partners, the GBI remains committed to following the facts and bringing to light evidence in public corruption investigations.”
Carr revealed that some of the allegations featured in the indictment include falsely filing a First Watch restaurant receipt as an abuse awareness expense and then taking Hall County funds in June 2022, using her county P-Card to make a law school admissions purchase and falsely claiming it was for a victim in August 2022, and submitting two identical expense reports for reimbursement for travel in August 2021 and August 2022.
She is also accused of submitting an affidavit for continuing legal education and a credit request, falsely claiming that she had attended each session.
Michelle Daniel, a woman who previously worked for Woodard’s office, has shared that she might sue the county because Woodard terminated her as an act of retaliation for cooperating with law enforcement. Daniel’s attorney proposed to settle for $750,000.
Woodard was released without a bail requirement after her hearing on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Her attorney, Goldberg, conveyed to Senior Judge David Emerson that Woodard was facing unmerited charges based on accounting errors.
This case is pending.