Former Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard pleaded guilty Friday to unlawfully using funds from the county and the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia (PAC) to cover personal expenditures.
Woodard was charged with one count of unprofessional conduct for claiming a number of travel expenditures for which she was not entitled and misusing Local Victim Assistance Program funds.
“Mrs. Woodard took advantage of our state by violating the same laws that she was elected to uphold,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said. “She has now been held accountable for her actions.”
“Hall County citizens entrusted Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard to serve the community with honesty and integrity,” added Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “However, Woodard betrayed that trust for her personal gain.”
Woodard was sentenced under the First Offender Act to 12 months of probation and ordered to pay $1,190.48 in restitution to the PAC and $1,028.80 to Hall County. As part of her plea, she was also required to resign as Hall County solicitor general, backdated to Aug. 9.
The case was investigated by the GBI and prosecuted by Senior Assistant Attorney General Laura Pfister, who head the attorney general’s White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit.