AG: Former GA school superintendent, wife plead guilty on racketeering, theft charges

PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. — A former Georgia school superintendent and his wife have pleaded guilty on racketeering and theft charges after prosecutors said they stole more than $100,000 in cash from a gun range they co-owned.

Carlton and Cindy Wilson were arrested in April after the sheriff’s office executed a search warrant on their home. According to an affidavit, the Wilsons ran the day-to-day operations of the Appalachian Gun Range. The sheriff’s investigation found that on at least seven occasions, Cindy Wilson wrote checks from the business’s account to either herself or to her husband.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The checks ranged from $1,329 to $21,972, totalling over $60,000. Cindy Wilson asked a business that the company sold shells and casings to if they would write her personal checks that totaled over $12,000, according to the sheriff’s office. The couple also kept all the cash proceeds from the business during 2021, which amounted to more than $40,000.

On Monday, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said Carlton and Cindy Wilson each pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering and one count of theft by taking. Carlton Wilson also pleaded guilty to six additional counts of theft by taking by a fiduciary, theft by deception and theft by conversion.

“Carlton and Cindy Wilson stole thousands of dollars from hardworking Georgians, and now they are facing the consequences of their illegal actions,” Carr said. “This is a complex case that spans several years and involves multiple acts of theft, including the unlawful collection of taxpayer funds.”

TRENDING STORIES:

• Police identify 15-year-old girl shot to death at high school party in Clayton County
• Ex-Georgia Amazon employees plead guilty to ‘staggering’ fraud to buy luxury cars, high end jewelry
• Georgia State confirms student was killed in gas station shooting near campus

In June, Carr announced an indictment against the couple on charges of racketeering, one count of theft by taking and two counts of theft by conversion on Thursday.

Carlton Wilson was separately indicted on six counts of theft by taking by a fiduciary and one count of theft by deception. Cindy Wilson was also separately indicted on one count of tampering with evidence, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Carlton Wilson was the superintendent of Pickens County Schools from May 2017 through December 2019 .

Officers stand in for father who died from COVID-19 complications as daughter graduates high school Smith’s daughter Kaylee graduated with honors Friday night from North Paulding High School.

©2022 Cox Media Group