Former Lee County Commissioner Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud

FORT MYERS, FL—Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that on October 3, 2013, former Lee County Commissioner Tammara Ann Hall, a/k/a Tammy Hall (53, Cape Coral), pleaded guilty to wire fraud. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 13, 2014.

According to the plea agreement, Hall was a Lee County commissioner running for re-election in the November 2010 general election. Between November 2009 and November 2010, Hall diverted and embezzled approximately $33,756 of donor contributions to the Tammy Hall campaign fund and used the money for personal expenditures unrelated to the campaign. Hall completed Florida Department of State campaign fund quarterly reports and failed to disclose that she had diverted campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses. She falsely represented the nature of the expenditures, which she made for personal purposes, or omitted certain campaign contribution checks from the quarterly reports. Hall stole from her campaign fund by transferring funds electronically from the campaign bank account to her personal bank account. She wrote checks from the campaign bank account and then deposited the checks into her personal bank account. She also deposited certain donor campaign contribution checks directly into her personal bank account. Hall used interstate wires to accomplish the electronic transfer of funds from her campaign account to her personal account at Wachovia Bank.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey F. Michelland.