Former Marion County UT Extension Office Assistant Indicted for Theft
Courtney Conley Stole More than $39,000
An investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has resulted in the indictment of Courtney Conley, a former administrative support assistant in Monroe County’s UT Extension Office. The office serves citizens with educational programs, and it receives cash and checks as payment for its services.
Investigators determined that Conley stole at least $39,109 between November 2018 and March 2020. Conley admitted to investigators that she was experiencing financial difficulties when she stole Extension Office funds to pay her personal expenses.
Conley employed two schemes to misappropriate the money. She issued and cashed 18 checks payable to herself totaling at least $15,411, and she also kept at least $23,698 in cash that she should have deposited in the Extension Office account.
In order to conceal her theft, Conley falsified signatures on checks, altered bank statements, and made false entries in the office’s accounting system. The investigation began after UT Extension Office officials reported questionable transactions in its accounting and bank records.
The Extension Office terminated Conley’s employment on March 31, 2020.
In June 2021, Courtney Conley was indicted by the Marion County Grand Jury on one count of theft over $10,000, one count of official misconduct, one count of tampering with evidence, and 18 counts of forgery.
“There were several weaknesses within this office that allowed these schemes to go undetected for more than a year before the bank notified the Extension Office that its account was overdrawn,” said Comptroller Jason Mumpower. “Most importantly, one person was given too much authority over the financial processes within the office, and not enough oversight was provided to ensure money was being used properly.”
To view the investigative report, go to: https://comptroller.tn.gov/office-functions/investigations/find.html
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: tncot.cc/fraud. Follow us on twitter @TNCOT and Instagram @tncot
Media contact: John Dunn, Director of Communications, 615.401.7755 or john.dunn@cot.tn.gov
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