Former Georgia national parks employee pleads guilty to stealing nearly $40,000 in government funds
A former employee working at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park has pleaded guilty to stealing government funds during his time with the National Park Service.
Prosecutors say 48-year-old Donny Campbell, who worked with the park's maintenance team, submitted fraudulent overtime on his timesheets to get tens of thousands of dollars in payments.
According to investigators, Campbell claimed overtime pay for hundreds of hours of work between January 2017 and June 2019.
In total, authorities say the maintenance worker received nearly $40,000 in wrongful payments.
"Federal employees are expected to be responsible stewards of taxpayer money," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "When they abuse that trust, it diminishes public confidence that those dollars are spent appropriately. Federal employees and anyone else who chooses to steal from the public fisc will be held accountable."
As part of his plea deal, Campbell resigned from his position, will not seek any further employment with the federal government, and will pay full restitution.
A sentencing hearing for Campbell is scheduled for Jan. 23.