A former city clerk in the small southwest Georgia town of Edison has admitted she used a government credit card to pay for restaurant meals, dog treats, Amazon purchases and designer clothing while she was responsible for the city's finances. Tami Fincher, 64, pleaded guilty to one count of federal program theft, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, capping a federal investigation that traced back to a town nearly pushed into insolvency.
Fincher served as Edison's city clerk beginning in March 2018 and had access to a city credit card throughout her tenure, before resigning in July 2023. As reported by CBS News, a review of card statements found more than $5,000 in unauthorized purchases between 2018 and 2023. That review only began after Fincher personally told a city official that Edison could not repay a municipal loan, according to court records cited by the outlet.
How a Loan Default Warning Cracked the Case Open
Fincher's resignation in July 2023 landed in the middle of a broader financial crisis that had already pushed Edison toward bankruptcy, according to the Albany Herald. The city eliminated staff positions, left bills unpaid, missed required audits and raised utility rates on residents as it tried to stabilize its books. Current Financial Director Lori Moore discovered the credit card irregularities after taking office, the newspaper reported.
Edison officials reported their concerns about the city's finances and requested federal assistance, and the FBI began investigating in December 2023. City Attorney Tommy Coleman had initially asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into the matter, but the state agency declined, so city leaders turned to the FBI, which took jurisdiction because federal grant funds were involved, the Albany Herald reported. The FBI's involvement followed a December 7, 2023 meeting with Edison leadership, who had opened internal reviews after Fincher's loan-default warning earlier that year.
Why Federal Prosecutors, Not State Police, Took the Case
Federal prosecutors were able to pursue the case under 18 U.S.C. § 666, a statute that allows federal program theft charges against local officials when the affected municipal government receives more than $10,000 in federal grant or program funds in a single year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Edison received more than that threshold in annual federal benefits during the years in question, which is what opened the door to federal jurisdiction rather than a state prosecution.
A federal grand jury had initially indicted Fincher on four counts in November 2025, alleging that beyond the credit card fraud exceeding $10,000, she had also falsely inflated municipal payroll by at least $5,000, per the Albany Herald. Fincher ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of federal program theft before U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner in Albany federal court, and no sentencing date has yet been set. She faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and two years of supervised release. Because federal law abolished parole under the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, the Justice Department notes that any prison sentence imposed will have to be served in full.
Recovering Money From a Town Already Struggling
Under federal asset forfeiture statutes cited in court filings, Fincher is required to forfeit all assets derived from her illegal activities or surrender substitute personal property if the misapplied funds cannot be directly recovered, according to the Albany Herald. Whether restitution or forfeiture will actually return money to Edison's municipal coffers remains an open question as the case moves toward sentencing.
The stakes are especially high in a town with little room to absorb further losses. Edison, located in Calhoun County, had an estimated 2026 population of approximately 1,130 residents, a median household income below $30,000 and a poverty rate exceeding 40%, according to World Population Review. Those figures help explain why missing thousands of dollars, on top of the utility rate hikes residents already absorbed during the city's fiscal crisis, hit so hard.
The case was prosecuted under the Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division, an anti-corruption unit established in early 2026 to coordinate local, state and federal fraud prosecutions nationwide. City officials in Edison said they remain committed to stronger financial oversight, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars and integrity in local government, adding that accountability and transparency are essential to restoring public trust. The city also thanked federal investigators, prosecutors and residents who remained patient during the legal process, describing Fincher's guilty plea as an important step toward closing a difficult chapter.
Not an Isolated Case in Rural Georgia
Financial misconduct by small-town Georgia municipal clerks has drawn increased state and federal scrutiny in recent years. Hoodline previously reported on the August 2024 GBI arrest of former Temple chief clerk Anna Megan Brock, who was accused of converting police citation funds. In small towns like Edison, citation collection and other financial duties are often consolidated under a single municipal clerk role, a structure that can leave little independent oversight until problems surface.
