ATLANTA, GEORGIA – The former Troup County payroll manager has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to embezzling over $550,000 in taxpayer money by diverting former employees' salaries into accounts she controlled.
According to a FOX 5 Atlanta news report on February 20, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia stated that Wesleigh Gaddy, 35, a resident of Hogansville, pleaded guilty to theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.
The federal court imposed an 18-month prison sentence, followed by one year of supervised release. The defendant is required to pay $558,943.17 in restitution.
Two-Year Embezzlement Scheme
The investigation revealed that from March 2023 to May 2025, Gaddy used the names of more than 75 former county employees to create fraudulent payroll records and directly transfer funds into three bank accounts, at least one of which she directly controlled.
The scheme was discovered when a Troup County sheriff's deputy noticed the payroll system was still generating pay stubs under his name even though he was no longer employed by the county.
Following this irregularity, a comprehensive payroll audit was conducted, revealing the loss of over half a million dollars.
The investigation was jointly conducted by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Gaddy was arrested in 2025 before officially pleading guilty.
Local Government Tightens Financial Procedures
Troup County Manager Eric Mosley, along with Human Resources Director Valerie Heard, stated that they had received numerous calls from residents expressing concern about the incident.
County leaders affirmed they are implementing new internal control measures to ensure similar violations do not recur in the future.
The case concluded with a prison sentence and restitution order, but local officials indicated that the process of tightening financial procedures is still ongoing.
