ATLANTA — Gwendolyn Brandon, a former supervisor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pleaded guilty yesterday to theft of government funds.
Brandon defrauded the CDC of $190,461.50 by submitting at least 46 fraudulent invoices between August 2023 and February 2025.
As an administrative professional and supervisor at the CDC, Brandon created invoices that appeared to be from vendors requesting payment for goods or services.
These invoices directed payments to an account she controlled. She leveraged her position and knowledge of the CDC’s payment systems to process these fraudulent transactions.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg condemned the actions.
“[Brandon] embezzled taxpayer money and brazenly exploited her position of public trust by fabricating invoices,” Hertzberg said.
Hertzberg also noted that Brandon “will pay the price for her greed and deception” when she is sentenced.
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Special Agent in Charge Marcus L. Sykes of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General emphasized the breach of trust.
“This federal employee-turned-fraudster exploited her government position to steal taxpayer money to enrich herself,” Sykes said. He affirmed that HHS-OIG is “committed to protecting the integrity of the federal workforce and to help ensure that HHS funding is spent appropriately to serve the American public,” Sykes said.
The fraud involved Brandon causing employees under her supervision, who were unaware of the scheme, to make the payments for the fake invoices. The individual fraudulent invoices ranged in amounts from $2,230 to $9,970.
Brandon, 43, of Cumming, has also agreed to resign from the CDC as part of her plea agreement.
She will also be barred from applying for employment with the federal government again or seeking to do business with it as a contractor or vendor.
The Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines when determining the actual sentence, although these guidelines are not binding.
Brandon’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 30.
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