MARION COUNTY, Tenn. — 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.
Investigators determined that Conley stole at least $39,109 between November 2018 and March 2020.
According to a press release, Conley admitted to investigators that she was experiencing financial difficulties when she stole Extension Office funds to pay her personal expenses.
Officials said that Conley implemented 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, officials said.
The investigation began after UT Extension Office officials reported questionable transactions in its accounting and bank records, the press release stated.
Officials said the Extension Office terminated Conley’s employment on March 31, 2020.
In June, 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.
Click here to view the investigative report.
