Two more suspects plead in Muscogee Superior Court Clerk missing money scandal
Two more suspects pleaded guilty Tuesday in the Muscogee Superior Court Clerk’s office scandal involving former worker Willie Demps, who’s accused of stealing nearly half a million dollars in government funds.
Demps was among eight suspects indicted in the scheme that involved his writing checks on office accounts to his cohorts who cashed them at local banks before giving Demps the money.
The suspects pleading Tuesday were Lamarcus Palmer and Samuel Cole.
Among the rest are Terry McBride, Rosalee Bassi, Curtis Porch and Dereen Porch, also known as Dereen Fitzgerald, and George Cook. Cook, 33, Demps’ nephew, already has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bank fraud.
All the codefendants are accused of helping Demps steal at least $467,000 from accounts that Demps managed while working nearly 30 years for the clerk’s office, part of that time as chief deputy clerk.
Here are the charges on which those pleading guilty Tuesday were indicted, and the charge to which they pleaded:
- Cole, 72, of Columbus, was charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, making false statements, and two counts each of wire fraud and transportation of stolen property. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
- Palmer, 34, of Smiths Station, Alabama, was charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of concealing a felony.
Represented by attorney Robert Wadkins Jr., Cole admitted cashing 34 checks for Demps in amounts ranging from $2,901 to $6,125. The restitution he must repay the clerk’s office totals more than $378,000.
Cole cashed the checks for Demps between Jan. 4 and Nov. 25, 2019, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Melvin Hyde.
He faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million, Hyde said.
Palmer’s involvement
Represented by attorney Barbara Agricola, Palmer pleaded to a charge called “misprision of a felony,” meaning he knew a felony crime was committed and failed to notify authorities about it.
Hyde said Palmer cashed only three checks, between March 13 and March 19, 2019, and his restitution is set at $12,606.
Palmer never dealt directly with Demps, the prosecutor said. The suspect performed yard work for McBride, another codefendant, who gave Palmer the checks, Hyde said.
On the first occasion, March 13, 2019, McBride told Palmer he would not be paid for his yard work if he didn’t cash the $3,546 check, Hyde said. Palmer did as he was told, and was paid $400 from the cash received, for his labor, the prosecutor said.
Though Palmer cashed two more checks for McBride, he received no more money, Hyde said.
Palmer faces up to three years in prison and a fine of $250,000, the prosecutor said.
What happens next?
Cole and Palmer will be sentenced on Feb. 15, as will Cook, who pleaded guilty Sept. 21.
Cook in his guilty plea admitted he cashed checks for Demps at least 60 times. The two arranged to go to a bank where Demps waited in the parking lot while Cook cashed the checks, records show. The accounts were at Synovus Bank, SunTrust Bank and Colony Bank.
McBride was set for a sentencing hearing Tuesday, but it was postponed because his attorney, Jennifer Curry, was unavailable.
Judge Clay Land said he expects pretrial hearings in the case to be held in November, and any trials to begin in January.
The investigation, meanwhile, is ongoing.
Hyde has said significantly more government funds still are missing. An FBI agent in August testified that out of $5.9 million in cash collected by the clerk’s office from 2010 to 2019, only $210 was deposited to office accounts.
Arrested Aug. 18, Demps and his codefendants were named in a 71-count indictment alleging wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and transporting stolen goods and money.
Though Demps, 63, so far is charged with stealing nearly half-million in government funds in 2019, Hyde has said authorities suspect that over the years, he took a total of at least $1.5 million.
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 12:05 PM.