A former employee of the Salvation Army of Covington has been arrested and faces a dozen felony charges after she was accused of stealing COVID-19 relief funds meant for Newton County citizens, authorities said.
Christal Guthrie, 44, was arrested Oct. 3 on one count of theft by deception and 11 counts of falsifying documents, Covington police announced this week. Guthrie was booked into the Newton jail, where she remains without bond.
An investigation was opened Aug. 17 after officers received a report of possible misappropriation of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), police said. The Salvation Army of Covington, which had been contracted by county officials to help distribute the ARPA funds, shared evidence of fraud, the Rockdale and Newton Citizen reported.
In a statement, Newton officials said evidence had been found of “forged or manipulated documents” used in applications for funding that were discovered by the Salvation Army during an internal audit. The Salvation Army had distributed about $525,000 meant to assist with rent and mortgage payments, the Citizen reported in mid-September. After evidence of fraud was found, the county ordered the Salvation Army to stop distributing funds during the investigation.
Despite Guthrie’s arrest, the case remains under investigation, police said, adding that they could not release additional details about the amount of money taken. More arrests and charges are possible, and the investigation is expected to continue for months, police said.
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