Danielsville woman pleads guilty to stealing from Officer's Association
A Danielsville woman was ordered to spend time in prison after she pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing thousands of dollars from a statewide public officials organization.
A sentence of 15 years with the first three in prison and the remainder on probation was imposed on Melissa Branyon Tolbert, 43, of Danielsville.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined she stole $103,178. Northern Circuit District Attorney Parks White said Thursday that she has already paid back $98,000 in restitution.
“She has paid a big chunk of the restitution that is owed, but she’ll also pay a fine when she is released from prison,” White said.
Northern Circuit Superior County Judge Chris Phelps imposed a $5,000 fine.
Tolbert, represented by Athens attorney Ed Tolley, pleaded guilty to a nine-count indictment of felony theft and credit card fraud in the Madison County courtroom.
The sentence was not negotiated between the defense and prosecutors.
“The judge could have given her whatever he thought was appropriate,” White said.
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Tolbert was the former executive director of the Constitutional Officer’s Association of Georgia, which at the time operated out of a mailing address in Hull. The COAG is composed of elected officials that includes the offices of clerk of court, probate judge, tax commissioner and sheriffs.
The investigation was initiated after members of the COAG found several unauthorized transactions from May 2018 to June 2022 during years when Tolbert had access to the organization’s bank account, according to the GBI.
"She was left in charge of the account with no oversight and was able to walk away with a lot of money," White said.
Tolbert drained the organization's banking account before she quit, according to the DA.
“She turned in the books and left like nothing happened. She even got a job in Madison County before it was brought to the attention of the GBI,” he said.
The indictment shows she took $26,277 in 2021 and another $15,427 in 2022. One charge says she fraudulently used a credit card to purchase a novel for $14.99 and once used the organization’s money to make a campaign contribution to secretary of state candidate T.J. Hudson in 2021.
“It was an excellent job by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in ferreting this out,” White said.
According to the COAG website, the new executive director is Reagan Pritchett, who operates out of Ellijay.
The current president of the organization is an official in Harris County, who did not return a telephone call for comment on Thursday.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Danielsville woman pleads guilty in theft from Officer's Association
