Washington County Sheriff Indicted For Conspiracy, Theft Of Government Money

United States Attorney Kenyen R. Brown of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Richard Stephen Stringer, Sr., 67, of Deer Park, Alabama, has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of conspiracy and theft of government money.

The indictment alleges that Stringer, the Sheriff of Washington County, conspired with others to fraudulently obtain Social Security benefits for one of his employees. According to the charges, Stringer arranged to have the wages of one of his employees be paid to the employee’s wife instead of to the employee, thereby reducing the income reported to the Social Security Administration in his name, allowing the employee to obtain and retain benefits to which he was not entitled.

Stringer was charged with conspiracy and aiding and abetting the theft of government money. Conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Theft of government money carries up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Sean P. Costello is handling the prosecution on behalf of the United States.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until and unless he or she is proven guilty at trial.