Former Wartburg Apartment Office Manager Stole $22,000
An investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has determined that Pamela Byrd, the former office manager of the Brookwood Terrace Apartments in Wartburg stole at least $22,036.
The Brookwood Terrace Apartments is a 24-unit complex and is part of the Douglas-Cherokee Economic Authority (DCEA), which receives its primary funding from federal and state grants. The investigation began after the DCEA notified the Comptroller’s Office of potential financial discrepancies at the apartment complex.
Investigators found that Byrd stole $22,036 in rental payments and security deposits between October 1, 2012 and June 9, 2017. The tenants told investigators they paid their rent each month in cash to the office manager. Byrd resigned on June 9, 2017.
On August 15, 2018 Pamela Byrd pled to an information of one count of theft between $10,000 and $60,000. She also reimbursed the Brookwood Terrace Apartments $22,036 as part of her plea agreement.
“The DCEA must ensure that it is providing adequate oversight to this apartment complex,” said Comptroller Justin P. Wilson. “This includes making periodic onsite visits and creating a process whereby the same person is not receiving collections, issuing receipts, and delivering deposits to the bank.”
To view the investigative report online, go to: http://www.comptroller.tn.gov/ia/.
If you suspect fraud, waste or abuse of public money in Tennessee, call the Comptroller’s toll-free hotline at (800) 232-5454, or file a report online at:www.comptroller.tn.gov/hotline. Follow us on twitter: @TNCOT
