Former Spalding Tax Commissioner’s Office employee charged with theft, computer forgery

STAFF REPORT :::

A former employee of the Spalding County Tax Commissioner’s Office, Alteria Williams, has been arrested on theft and computer crime related charges stemming from an investigation conducted by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).

Tax Commissioner Sylvia Hollums initially contacted the SCSO after she noticed irregularities.

“I was contacted by Spalding County Tax Commissioner Sylvia Hollums about irregularities they had noticed in operations over a period of several months both prior to, and after the first of the year. Once she notified us of the issues, she requested that we temporarily place the investigation on hold for her to review records and rule out any clerical errors that may have been made by staff in light of their recent move to their new office location,” said Sheriff Darrell Dix. “The review combined with Williams missing a significant amount of time from work due to illness slowed the investigation. During this period, Mrs. Hollums moved forward with new accounting procedures for her office.”

Once those delays ended, the SCSO moved forward with its investigation. That resulted in the discovery that taxpayer funds had allegedly been stolen.

“After the delays were concluded, Mrs. Hollums contacted us again, and an investigator was assigned to assist in getting a clearer picture of what was happening. Working in cooperation with her staff, we quickly discovered that thefts had in fact occurred, began tracking them back, and linked them to Williams,” Dix said. “While we were in the middle of investigating the thefts, Mrs. Hollums notified us that a citizen had reached out to her staff regarding a delinquent tax notice he had received. The citizen told her staff that he had paid his taxes in the Tax Commissioner’s Office in cash on May 16, 2023, but still received notice that his taxes had not been paid. The customer returned on May 30, 2023, to pay additional taxes but again was not given a receipt at the time of the transaction. He returned on May 31, 2023, and requested the receipts. According to the citizen each time he visited he went to the same window and the same clerk. The clerk, Alteria Williams, had told him she couldn’t provide them on his previous visits because her printer was broken. During his visit on May 31st, Williams issued him what was later found to be a fraudulent receipt for the transactions.”

Dix said this case remains open, with investigators looking into whether additional taxpayers may have been theft victims.

“Right now we are looking at everything that may have occurred. Situations where customers who made payments in cash at William’s window were never given receipts, made payments and their accounts not credited, records altered to show lesser amounts paid by the customer, or refunds noted as being given to customers that never really occurred. Any of these situations are possible at this point and that’s what we are looking at as we move forward,” he said.

Williams, age 27, turned herself in to the Spalding County Jail Thursday, June 22. She has been charged with two felony counts of computer forgery and two misdemeanor counts of theft by taking. She remains in custody awaiting her first appearance hearing.

“These charges encompass only what we have found up until now, but there is reason to believe that she may have committed additional thefts that will be discovered as we continue the investigation. If that is in fact found to be true, she will face criminal charges for those thefts as well,” Dix said. “We have recommended to Mrs. Hollums that the Tax Commissioner’s Office seek an independent forensic audit of its records encompassing the entire two years of William’s employment as soon as possible.”

He said Hollums and her staff cooperated fully with the investigation, providing all information and records needed, and there is no indication any other employees of the Tax Commissioner’s Office were involved in the alleged thefts.

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