Hall County solicitor spent public money on herself while claiming it was for victims

GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Jewelry repair. Antique store shopping trips. Even a garden gnome.

All of it paid with public funds by Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard supposedly to help witnesses or victims of crime.

But who was really being helped?

Woodard certainly likes to spend public funds in the name of victims. Her office sponsors a needy family each Christmas.

But the FOX 5 I-Team analyzed the other spending records from January 2021 to September 2022. We identified more than $7,000 spent by Woodard but with little evidence any victim was actually getting helped.

In some cases, the money clearly went to help Woodard or her family.

Like for her dog’s cremation.

In June 2021, Woodard submitted a receipt for reimbursement from Precious Memories, a pet crematory in nearby White County. Owner Rick Farmer said he contracts with various veterinarians in the area.

Farmer told the FOX 5 I-Team he knew of no crime victim who owed him for a pet cremation.

"I keep records of everything," he said. "If you ask me where something went, I can tell you."

He went through his records for June 2021 and found the truth: he had handled the cremation for Woodard’s own dog.

"It was paid to me," he suddenly realized, "for her dog."

Woodard used her personal credit card, then submitted the expense to the county. The reimbursement check she received is clearly marked "CREMATION OF DOG."

The FOX 5 I-Team found multiple examples of questionable spending that was either reimbursed to Woodard or bought using her Hall County purchase card, each supposedly to help crime victims or witnesses.

Here are a few:

• $352.03 to Best Buy for noise-canceling headphones.
• $160.49 to Best Buy for Elite 7 Active earbuds
• $96.30 for 10 baseball caps embroidered with the number 83
• $168.33 to Out Of Cedar Antiques
• $37.45 for jewelry repair
• $109.34 for various home items including a garden gnome
• $85.58 for an antique coffee table

Woodard became Hall County Solicitor in 2008. Her office prosecutes misdemeanors like DUIs, domestic violence, and simple assault. She makes $108,064 a year.

Woodard ran unopposed in the Republican primary this year. She has no opposition in the November General Election.

In July, Woodard used her county-issued purchase card to pay $1,430 for an SAT prep course. 

A month later, Hall County paid $215 for someone who signed up for the January 2023 LSAT, a test you need to get into law school. According to Woodard’s notation, it was for a "victim in Project Yet."

Woodard is on the board of Project Yet, a nonprofit whose aim is to help "young adults transition into adulthood."

Since starting up last year, Project Yet has already helped six people get into college, including one semester fully paid by a donor.

But the president of Project Yet told the FOX 5 I-Team she knew of no client taking the LSAT.

"We have one person who’s interested in law," said Joy Kelleher. "But no one is that close to even graduating college right now."

So who else may be interested in law? Perhaps Woodard’s own daughter. In a May Facebook post about her daughter, the solicitor wrote "she is contemplating taking the LSAT next year!"

Woodard declined an on-camera interview invitation. Instead, she sent a written statement that did not directly address any of her questionable spending:

"Most of the expenditures that you specifically cited in your email as being ‘unusual’ were for legitimate items provided to victims that ranged from furniture and bedding for rehousing to work-related or personal family needs – all within the discretion of our office. Unfortunately, some personal education expenses and other items submitted were confused as victim expenses by mistake – and have since been reimbursed by me personally. This oversight is personally and professionally embarrassing. I take full responsibility and am already taking corrective action to improve our internal procedures and review."

She sent Hall County two checks totaling $2,077.33, admitting that several charges including the LSAT and pet cremation were actually personal expenses.

But if the LSAT expenditure was an honest mistake, why did Woodard originally provide a false victim, then redact the real name of the person from the receipt when it was submitted to the county?

"When we’re talking about elected officials, we want transparency in government," said former prosecutor Max Hirsh. "And we want the giving out of county money, public moneys not to be ripe for abuse."

Hirsh spent seven years working for the DeKalb County District Attorney and Solicitor offices.

He pointed out the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council manages a fund for crime victims that prosecutors can tap. It requires proof that victims are truly getting that assistance.

"Once you start talking about giving merchandise, money to victims with county funds, always there should be a paper trail of who the victim is, what crime they were involved in," he said.

And what about Woodard’s attempt to hide who was getting these county funds?

"Ultimately that’s a question for an investigator or a jury to answer," said Hirsh.

A Hall County spokesperson said they had no comment about our findings. That included what else we uncovered.

Each summer the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council holds its conference at Jekyll Island.

This year, Woodard submitted an expense report to Hall County for food and parking. She then filed a second report to the PAC conference organizers for the same expenses.

She got reimbursed twice.

Following the FOX 5 I-Team investigation, Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh alerted PAC that he was recusing himself from looking into the matter. 

PAC Executive Director Pete Skandalakis then appointed Attorney General Chris Carr to investigate "allegations of theft by conversion and violation of oath by a public officer against Hall County Solicitor-General Stephanie Woodard."

Woodard also issued a statement asking for an independent state review of her spending.

"I feel this review is necessary to clear the air of any hint of wrongdoing in light of recent accounting errors that led to a few of my personal expenses being mistakenly reimbursed to me from our victims' support fund," she wrote.