Georgia man bought cars with money he stole from poor children

[News_Editor]

Georgia man bought cars with money he stole from poor children

2011-06-18 11:32:23 GMT+7 (ICT)

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA (BNO NEWS) -- A man from the U.S. state of Georgia has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for stealing tens of thousands of dollars which was intended to pay for the meals of poor children, prosecutors said on Friday.

Bernard Walker, 44, of Waynesboro, was found to have fraudulently obtained checks worth tens of thousands of dollars from a federally-funded, not-for-profit organization in Augusta. He then laundered that money through businesses located in Waynesboro and bought two vehicles.

Evidence presented at hearings in this case showed that Walker committed these crimes over a span of 2.5 years while he was a nutrition specialist for the Central Savannah River Area Economic Opportunity Authority and was responsible for providing meals for the low-income children who were enrolled in Head Start programs in approximately eleven counties in the Augusta, Georgia area.

In addition to sentencing Walker, who pled guilty in January, U.S. District Court Judge Dudley Bowen also signed an order forfeiting Walker's ownership of a BMW 528I and an Audi A6 Quattro which he bought with the stolen money.

"Stealing taxpayers' money that was allocated to buy meals for our children is reprehensible," said U.S. Attorney Edward Tarver. "The lengthy prison sentence in this case sends a message that the egregious theft of public funds will not be tolerated."

Under the U.S. Sentencing Commission's guidelines, Walker faced a range of imprisonment between 27 and 33 months. In addition to a prison sentence which was at the top end of the sentencing guidelines range, Walker was ordered to pay restitution and also serve three years of supervised release after he is released from prison.

Regarding the length of Walker's prison sentence, Tarver noted that there is no parole in the federal system.

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