BERKELEY COUNTY, W.Va. — A former deputy clerk in the Berkeley County Clerk’s office was sentenced this week to a lengthy prison term following a guilty plea to fraud that cost tax payers more than a quarter of a million dollars.
Melissa Joanna Beavers, the former deputy clerk in Berkeley County, was sentenced Monday in Berkeley County Circuit Court to up to 40 years in prison for stealing more than $272,000 from the county.
Melissa Joanna Beavers (WVDCR)
Beavers previously pleaded guilty to felony charges of embezzlement, falsifying accounts, forgery, uttering and three counts of forgery of a public record.
She was sentenced on Monday to to six to 40 years in prison and seven years of supervised probation.
In an appearance on Panhandle Live Tuesday, State Auditor JB McCuskey expressed gratitude that Beavers will serve serious jail time but admitted the county will likely never see the money, even though the defendant has been ordered to make restitution. “The idea that somebody who was stealing that much money would ever have that much money again is pretty unlikely.”
State Auditor JB McCuskey said his office takes fraud seriously: He says there’s no such thing as a small fraud, just fraud that you catch quickly.
He recounted in an appearance on MetroNews Talkline that it was due to a whistleblower contacting his office that the fraud came to light.. He said the long-serving Berkeley County Clerk, John Small, had in later years not been as vigilant over his employees and instead trusted that Beavers was acting ethically.
“What we are really working to do is making sure that all of these elected officials understand the threat,” McCuskey said. You have to be vigilant with every single person who has been charged with handling public money.”
Beavers was involved in two different schemes, according to the investigation. In the first scheme, Beavers forged checks from the County Clerk’s office to a company she owned called Beavers Roof Repair. In the scheme, Beavers forged the signature of former Berkeley County Clerk John Small.
In the second scheme, the investigation revealed that Beavers altered records involving cash deposits so she could steal money. Beavers also forged documents related to her divorce proceedings.
Beavers has been ordered to pay north of $300,000 in restitution, including $246,830 to WVCORP.
For his part, Auditor McCuskey, who will swear in as State Attorney General next year, says this case marks the 68th felony fraud conviction since he took office.
Panhandle Live is heard each weekday morning on WEPM 93.7 FM and 1340 AM, WCST 93.5 FM and 1010 AM as well as on panhandlenewsnetwork.com via the Listen Live button. Metronews follows at 10:06.
