Federal Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing $100,000 in Government Funds

RICHMOND, VA—Pamela J. Stewart, 51, of Petersburg, Virginia, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of theft of government funds. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on April 13, 2010, before Chief United States District Judge James R. Spencer. Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jennifer Love, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Warden Patricia R. Stansberry, Federal Correction Complex at Petersburg; and Gene E. Morrison, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, made the announcement. 

From 2001 through 2009, Stewart served as a supply management specialist in the food services department at the Federal Correctional Complex in Petersburg, Virginia. As part of her work responsibilities, Stewart input records for all employees in the food services department into the electronic time and attendance reporting program. That program would, in turn, send the information to the National Financing Center, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The National Financing Center used that information to determine federal employees’ pay, including overtime compensation.

During a routine inspection, officials at the Federal Correction Complex determined that, on multiple occasions, Stewart received payments for overtime that was not authorized and that she had not actually worked. Subsequent investigation revealed that in the course of her duties from 2001 to 2009, Stewart had routinely provided false information to the National Finance Center regarding her own overtime status. During the eight-year period, Stewart received $100,000 of compensation for overtime that she did not work. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; and the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney John D. Adams prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.