BERKELEY COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Two former employees of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and multiple counts of bank fraud in connection with an alleged years-long scheme to steal taxpayer funds and misappropriate assets from conservator accounts.
U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced that the five-count indictment charges Barbara Gail Gooden, 60, and Lisa Lee French, 48, both of Martinsburg.
According to the indictment, Gooden and French allegedly conspired from 2007 through 2024 to embezzle cash payments collected by the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office and manipulate conservatorship and estate bank accounts managed by the office. Prosecutors allege the pair carried out the scheme by issuing fraudulent checks, forging signatures, misusing a signature stamp and diverting funds for personal use.
“This office will continue to safeguard taxpayer resources, protect the interests of vulnerable individuals, and ensure that those entrusted with public responsibilities are held fully accountable for violations of that trust,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Federal prosecutors allege the conspiracy resulted in the misappropriation of more than $3 million. The indictment states the alleged fraud included checks drawn from conservator accounts and made payable either to the “Berkeley County Sheriff & Treasurer” or to a private business for the benefit of Gooden and French.
Authorities allege the defendants carried out more than 700 fraudulent transactions, including more than 550 forged checks, withdrawing substantial sums from at least 59 conservator bank accounts.
In addition to the criminal charges, the United States is seeking forfeiture of any property derived from the alleged offenses, including a money judgment.
