Last of 2 criminal cases resolved in Columbus Finance Department investigation
The last of the two criminal cases filed against people arrested in the investigation of the Columbus Consolidated Government Finance Department has been resolved.
CCG finance director Angelica Alexander, who was charged in May with misdemeanor obstruction of a law enforcement officer, has agreed to the following conditions for deferred adjudication, according to a document filed Feb. 26 with the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Office of the Solicitor General:
- Pay a $1,000 fine to the Clerk of State Court within six months.
- Perform 40 hours of community service within six months.
- Pay administrative fees and costs of $46 for the first month and $41 for each of the next five months during six months of supervision by Judicial Alternatives of Georgia.
- If she fails to act in accordance with this agreement, Alexander’s case will proceed to a trial.
Wayne Jernigan, the chief assistant district attorney for the Towaliga Judicial Circuit, is the prosecutor in this case, assigned after Chattahoochee circuit District Attorney Don Kelly recused himself in 2024.
Jernigan, a former assistant district attorney in the Chattahoochee circuit, told the Ledger-Enquirer this agreement concludes the criminal cases resulting from the CCG finance department investigation.
“I can’t speak for anyone who may or may not be doing more investigations, but this would be the last one that I have been presented with at this time,” he said. “As far as I know, my job with this is complete.”
Asked whether he is satisfied with the outcome of these cases, Jernigan said, “Yes. I think it’s the best that we could do with what we have.”
Details about the criminal charges
The case file in Muscogee County State Court shows the prosecutor asserted Alexander “did knowingly and willfully obstruct and hinder Deputy Tim Darden of the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, a law enforcement officer in the lawful discharge of his official duties by disobeying a lawful command not to enter and/or remove anything from a particular office that had been closed by the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office” from Feb. 1-8, 2024.
Yvonne Ivey is the other person who was arrested and criminally charged in the CCG finance department investigation. Ivey, the city’s former revenue manager, faced two charges of simple battery, but her charges were dismissed in June due to a statute of limitations.
“In this particular case, these are misdemeanors which have a two-year statute of limitations to be accused or indicted,” Jernigan told the L-E at the time.
The L-E asked Jernigan what are the maximum sentences and penalties Alexander and Ivey faced if they were found guilty of the crimes they were charged with in this investigation.
“The maximum penalty for a regular misdemeanor in Georgia is 12 months probation and a maximum fine of $1,000 under normal conditions,” Jernigan wrote in an email Tuesday to the L-E.
Summary of the investigation
A 118-page report the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office released in May comprises transcripts of interviews with city officials, local political activists and whistleblowers detailing allegations of toxic work environments, potential cover-ups and pressure to present misleading results to the Columbus Council.
The city reached this point through a years-long ordeal involving business tax issues that emerged in 2023. Estimates of missing revenue varied greatly.
CCG internal auditor Donna McGinnis told the council the backlog in revenue collections amounted to $45.1 million since 2019. Alexander, however, told the council the backlog amounted to $2.5 million from about 500 delinquent accounts.
Charlie Peeler, an attorney with the Atlanta law firm Troutman Pepper was hired to conduct an independent audit that reported in January 2024 the city’s potential revenue loss ranged from $20.1 million to $26.9 million from Jan. 1, 2016, through September 2023.
Reaction to resolution
Asked for his reaction to the resolution of this case, Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman emphasized his office conducted this investigation at the request of Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson and then-city manager Isaiah Hugley, who is now running for mayor.
Countryman reiterated that he cautioned the mayor and city manager about conducting such an investigation — which resulted in charges not about the original scope of allegedly missing money and Hugley’s leaked personal information.
“My words to them were the same thing three times: that I don’t recommend us doing this,” Countryman told the L-E Tuesday, “because once this train leaves the station, you can’t turn it around.”
In a text message to the L-E Tuesday, Hugley wrote, “From what is reported, it appears there was no showing Ms. Alexander or anyone misappropriated or mishandled funds. It appears to have been an administrative-type matter concerning her authorization to enter into a particular room. There is no reason the City had to be torn apart over such an issue.”
The Ledger-Enquirer didn’t reach Henderson, Alexander or her lawyer, William Kendrick, for comment about the resolution of this case before publication.
Countryman confirmed the resolution of the criminal charges against Alexander and Ivey concludes this investigation, and his office no longer is investigating the Columbus Finance Department. The L-E reported in July that the external audit and the criminal investigation of the department cost the city a total of approximately $1 million.
Ledger-Enquirer reporters Brittany McGee and Kelby Hutchison contributed to this article.
This story was originally published April 7, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
