Appomattox County social services worker faces forgery, larceny indictments

By Sarah Watson

Published: October 9, 2008

An Appomattox County social services employee has been accused of stealing more than $21,000 from state coffers over a 3½-year period.

Mary Walker-Brown was directly indicted this week on 209 felony counts, including 100 counts of forgery, 100 counts of uttering and 9 counts of larceny. The indictments were handed down after a nearly yearlong investigation.

Walker-Brown has worked at the social services agency for 28 years, most recently in a position that determined eligibility for benefits, said Barry Elder, Appomattox County Social Services director, on Thursday.

Elder would not name the accounts from which the money was allegedly taken. “All I’m going to say is we are a welfare office and it was coming from here,” he said.

Elder said no agency clients lost money.

According to the indictments, the thefts began around Christmastime 2003, and 100 checks ranging from $60 to more than $400 were written through July 2007. Most checks were written in late December or during the summer months, indictments show.

An advisement hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23 at 9:30 a.m. in Appomattox County Circuit Court.