Former National Park Employee Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government Funds in Georgia

ROME, Ga. – Donny Campbell, 48, of Ringgold, Georgia, a former maintenance employee at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds for submitting false overtime timesheets.

According to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, Campbell claimed hundreds of hours of overtime he did not work between January 2017 and June 2019, resulting in nearly $40,000 in improper payments. As part of his plea agreement, Campbell has agreed to resign, forfeit any future eligibility for federal employment, and pay full restitution to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“Federal employees are expected to be responsible stewards of taxpayer money,” said Hertzberg. “When they abuse that trust, it diminishes public confidence that those dollars are spent appropriately. Federal employees and anyone else who chooses to steal from the public fisc will be held accountable.”

Katie Balestra, Special Agent in Charge at the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General, added, “Our office will continue to investigate these types of cases to ensure government resources are expended appropriately.”

Campbell entered his guilty plea on October 2, 2025. Sentencing is scheduled for January 23, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge John H. Rains IV. The Court will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide advisory sentencing ranges.

The case was investigated by the Department of the Interior – Office of the Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett L. Bradford and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor C. Wilmot.