Woman steals nearly $500K from metro Atlanta HOA to go on vacation, GBI says

VILLA RICA, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has arrested an Alabama woman they say stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Georgia homeowners association.

The GBI says that 66-year-old Shirley Brown, of Calhoun County, Alabama, has been the property manager for the Mirror Lakes Homeowners Association in Villa Rica, Georgia.

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As part of her duties, Brown managed the HOA’s bank account.

In February 2021, the HOA’s governing board noticed a $189,000 discrepancy in the bank account.

After an official audit, investigators found that Brown had written herself unauthorized checks she claimed were for bonuses and vacation pay. The unauthorized checks totaled $498,815 between January 2015 and January 2021.

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Brown was arrested earlier this week and charged with one count of theft by taking.

She has since been released from the Carroll County Jail.

The GBI says their investigation is ongoing.

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