Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Government Integrity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County manager says ACH fraud probe ongoing; $250,000 recovered from insurance
Summary
Pender County Manager Colby Sawyer told a Hampstead forum the county's ACH/vendor-impersonation fraud investigation remains active with SBI involvement, that recovered insurance proceeds total $250,000, and that the incident involved utility funds (not tax dollars).
At the public forum a resident asked whether recent tax changes were related to a vendor-impersonation ACH fraud; county leaders strongly denied a link and provided an investigative update.
The chair deferred details to County Manager Colby Sawyer, who said the ACH incident involved utility funds rather than tax dollars and that the State Bureau of Investigation and other partners are pursuing tracing of transfers. Sawyer said the county has recovered $250,000 from its insurance company and that investigators are issuing subpoenas and warrants as they trace transfers across banks and, in some cases, into foreign accounts or crypto conversions.
Sawyer said the investigation is complex and that periodic updates from investigators have become less frequent as warrants and bank subpoenas progress; he said the FBI and other partners are pursuing leads where money was moved abroad. He urged residents the incident did not cause the recent reassessment and that the county is pursuing accountability as criminal processes allow.
