Former Edison city clerk indicted by grand jury over missing funds

EDISON – Former Edison City Clerk Tami Fincher has been indicted by a grand jury on charges that she knowingly and intentionally embezzled, stole or obtained by fraud funds utilizing a city of Edison credit card and through inflated payroll practices.

The indictment lists three counts of fraud in which Fincher is charged with appropriating “in excess of $10,000” through misuse of the city credit card and a fourth count in which she falsely “inflated payroll” by at least $5,000.

The indictment indicates Fincher must forfeit all property derived from illegal practices and that any property that cannot be located will lead to forfeiture of subsequent property.

The indictment was handed down based on evidence gathered by the FBI.

“We’ve been working with FBI agents for about two years now,” current Edison Financial Director Lori Moore said. “It took a long time to get everything they needed, but we knew (the indictment) was coming.

“This is very disappointing; it’s part of a hardship that the citizens of Edison have been paying the price for.”

Fincher was among a number of Edison city officials who resigned in the wake of a financial crisis that had the city on the verge of bankruptcy. Bills went unpaid, staffing positions were cut, audits were not completed, and the city had to raise utility costs in order to stave off insolvency.

Edison City Attorney Tommy Coleman said the search by the FBI was implemented when Moore took over as the city’s clerk. She noticed “irregularities” with the city’s credit card bills, and Coleman sought outside help.

“We reached out to the GBI, but they weren’t really interested,” the Albany-based attorney said. “So we took it to the FBI, and they decided to investigate because federal grants were involved and that gave them jurisdiction.

“The amount taken (by Fincher) was not sufficient to pay back all that the city owed, but it certainly played a part in their financial issues. For a small town like Edison, this was quite a sum of money.”

The indictment listed three counts in which Fincher “knowingly and intentionally” misappropriated funds in excess of $10,000 through credit card misuse. Those counts covered periods from 2021, 2022 and 2023. Also in 2023, Fincher was charged with “at least $5,000 of false inflation of payroll.”

In response to the indictment, Edison Mayor Shirley Worthy said in a news release, “We recognize that this indictment does not erase the challenges our citizens have faced, and in many cases continue to face. However, we remain committed to rebuilding trust, strengthening financial oversight, and moving our city forward. Thank you for your patience and continued support as we work to restore and protect the integrity of the city of Edison.”

Moore, who took over as Edison finance director in September of 2023, said the alleged theft led to hardships the city is only now starting to recover from.

“Sadly, the only source the city had for income was its citizens,” she said. “And there are a lot of elderly residents in the city.

“We are working to fight our way out of this, and a lot of the success we’ve had is because of Mayor Worthy. Mayor is a part-time position in our city, but she’s worked so hard full-time to try and put things in order.”