A former Glynn County Public Works supervisor is facing a 30-month prison sentence following a guilty plea to wire fraud charges. 51-year-old William Harold Richards, from Brunswick, was also hit with a hefty restitution order, expected to shell out more than $400,000 to Glynn County coffers, as per details shared by Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Appointed to the authoritative role that granted him considerable access to employee purchasing cards and the county’s billing apparatus, Richards reportedly abused this privilege over a two-year span. Following suspicious charges spotted by a colleague, an investigation spearheaded by the Glynn County Police Department and the FBI began in September 2023, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office. The probe unraveled Richards' scheme, which involved creating a bogus company and channeling funds from fraudulent purchases into his personal bank account.
Judge Lisa Godbey Wood handed down the sentence, which does not allow for parole given the federal nature of the offense. The federal court also mandated that Richards follows up his prison term with three years of supervised release. In a public statement, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Steinberg criticized the misconduct, saying, "Taxpayers rightly expect employees of their government agencies to handle public money responsibly. William Richards did the opposite by defrauding taxpayers and enriching himself at their expense, and he is being held accountable for his crime."
The severity of Richards' fraudulent actions paints a clear message about the consequences of abusing public trust. Upon his arrest on state charges before the federal indictment, Richards admitted to using the "proceeds of this fraudulent scheme to make numerous personal purchases, including the purchase of lottery tickets," making plain the personal gains over public duty. Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, Keri Farley confirmed the agency's stance on such corruption: "The FBI is committed to holding corrupt individuals, like Richards, accountable for their greed" in a statement obtained by the Justice Department.
Handled by the Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew A. Josephson, the case against Richards culminated in a concrete example of the justice system's response to financial crime. This sentencing serves as a stark reminder and, perhaps, a deterrent to those in positions of financial stewardship within government departments. Taxpayers, after bearing the brunt of such fraud, can find solace in the thorough work of local law enforcement in collaboration with the FBI to uphold accountability and integrity within public services.
