Georgia Attorney General Announces Indictment of Hall County Solicitor General

Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard has been indicted on multiple charges, Attorney General Chris Carr announced today. The indictment includes 11 counts of Theft by Taking and 13 counts of False Statements and Writings.

Woodard is alleged to have unlawfully acquired funds from Hall County and the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia (PAC) for personal and unrelated expenses from July 2018 through September 2022. The charges also include allegations of obtaining reimbursements for expenses she either had already submitted to PAC or never incurred, using false statements and falsified documents.

“Those elected to uphold the law must operate honestly, ethically and transparently, and anything less undermines our system,” said Carr. “Theft of taxpayer dollars and falsifying documents to cover up that theft are entirely unacceptable. As with any case brought by our Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit, we follow the facts and evidence to ensure justice for the people of Georgia.”

The case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

“As a public official, Hall County citizens trusted Solicitor Stephanie Woodard with their community’s interests,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “This indictment illustrates that no one is above the law and must be held accountable for their actions. Working with our law enforcement partners, the GBI remains committed to following the facts and bringing to light evidence in public corruption investigations.”

The Attorney General’s Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit presented evidence to a Hall County Grand Jury, which returned the indictment. The allegations include:

In June 2022, falsely claiming a restaurant receipt was for abuse awareness expenses and taking funds from Hall County.
In August 2022, using a Hall County P-Card for a Law School Admissions purchase and falsely claiming it was for a youth program victim.
In July 2021, falsely stating a reimbursement request was for a dog cremation for a court case and taking funds from Hall County.
In June 2022, using a P-Card for “Testing Services” and falsely stating it was for a different course and individual.
In September 2022, making a Target purchase with a P-Card and falsely claiming it was for a victim’s pillow and pillowcase.
In August 2021 and August 2022, concealing previous reimbursement requests to PAC on Travel Expense Request Forms submitted to Hall County.
In July 2018, falsely stating on a Continuing Legal Education Affidavit that she attended all initialed sessions.

Prosecutors with the Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit, among others within Carr’s Prosecution Division, have previously secured convictions against former Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Mark Preston Jones, former Paulding County District Attorney Donald Richard “Dick” Donovan, and former Pickens County Chief Magistrate Court Judge William “Allen” Wigington.