Former inspector Sandra Putnam had a long, successful history at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and had earned the trust of her superiors.

That’s part of the reason she was able to spend tens of thousands of dollars on herself and her friends, using a purchasing card paid for with taxpayer dollars.

According to records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, her spending spree was blatant and included fraudulent receipts and changing reports to show items ordered online were delivered to the GBI headquarters in Decatur and not to her home in Covington.

Putnam pleaded guilty in December but questions linger about why her bosses didn’t catch on sooner.

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez