A former administrator for the Georgia Department of Corrections has been accused of embezzling more than $20,000 from the agency to buy electronics, prosecutors say.
Benjamin Hopkins, 42, a former operations deputy director, was indicted on Tuesday on 35 counts of identity fraud on accusations he used his purchasing privileges to buy thousands of dollars in electronic equipment for personal use, Fulton County District Attorney’s office spokeswoman Yvette Jones said.
Global Government Education Solutions, a vendor for the corrections department, identified the purchase of an Xbox and a pair of iPods in November 2010 and brought the scheme to light, Jones said.
Officials with the corrections department launched an internal investigation and found 35 more unauthorized purchases made over two years adding up to $20,374.91, prosecutors said.
When interviewed during the internal investigation, Hopkins admitted to having made the purchases and was fired, Jones said.
An arrest warrant was issued, although Hopkins has not been booked into the Fulton County Jail, according to jail records.
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