Former Edison city clerk faces 10 years in prison for federal program fraud

ALBANY — Former Edison City Clerk Tami Fincher has admitted in federal court that she used taxpayer money for personal purchases and pleaded guilty to one count of federal program theft before U.S.District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner on Thursday.

Fincher faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Fincher’s theft was part of a series of ongoing problems in this small community some 38 miles west of Albany that led to a 6-mill tax increase and implementation of a number of fees in an effort to stave off bankruptcy.

But Edison City Attorney Tommy Coleman, the former mayor of Albany, said Fincher’s using taxpayer funds for personal purchases was not a large part of Edison’s financial woes.

“Several Edison officials (including the mayor and one member of the City Council) resigned, and there was a new election,” Coleman said. “There was an immediate effort to try and clean things up. Cardboard boxes of receipts that had never been filed were brought to me, and so we started looking into things. It was obvious many of these receipts had not been accounted for.”

Coleman said he took his findings of missing funds to the GBI, but that agency “wanted nothing to do with us.”

“I went as high as the assistant director, but they wouldn’t get involved,” Coleman said. “So we took it to the FBI.”

According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI met with city of Edison officials on Dec. 7, 2023. During the meeting, one individual explained to investigators he had been contacted by Fincher, the city’s former clerk, earlier in the year and advised that Edison was unable to pay a loan it owed. City representatives began to investigate the issue and immediately recognized significant financial mismanagement of the city’s accounts.

Fincher, 64, began working as the city clerk for Edison in March 2018 and was responsible for the city’s finances. She was issued a city credit card, and a subsequent review of statements revealed a large quantity of inappropriate personal charges made using that card, including dining out, dog treats, Amazon purchases, and designer clothing.

Between 2018 and 2023, Fincher made more than $5,000 in unauthorized personal purchases using the card. She resigned from her position in July of 2023.  

“No matter the amount or intent, misusing government funds for personal gain is a serious crime that erodes public trust,” U.S. Attorney Will Keyes said in a release from his office detailing Fincher’s case “The National Fraud Enforcement Division is committed to investigating and prosecuting all forms of government waste, fraud and abuse, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are protected and those who betray the public’s confidence are held accountable.

“This guilty plea is a reminder that those entrusted with public funds are not above the law.”

Thomas Clark, the supervisory senior special agent of the Albany office of FBI Atlanta, said Fincher’s actions undermined public trust.

“This breach of trust undermines the integrity of public office,” Clark said. “The FBI remains unwavering in its pursuit to hold accountable those who exploit their positions for selfish purposes.”

Coleman said that while Fincher’s actions hurt the city, which had not completed a state-required audit for several years, making the city ineligible to receive state funds and grants, she “was really not a bad person.”

“She just got caught up in this thing,” the Edison City Attorney said.

Coleman said that Edison officials, led by Mayor Shirley Worthy, chose to “face the music” and start chipping away at the issues that led to the city’s financial woes.

“They’ve made a lot of improvements,” he said. “They’re taking on things one at a time — the city owed its waste management company $70,000, and they worked out an agreement where they will pay that amount back through ‘extra’ payments each year — and they’ve made a lot of progress in several areas.

“Unfortunately, they still have a ways to go.”

The FBI investigated the case, and Deputy Criminal Chief Veronica Hansis and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shiante McMahon are prosecuting the case for the government.

Information sent from U.S. Attorney Will Keyes’ office was used in this report.