Former Atlanta clerk to spend year in prison for $80K theft

A former Atlanta clerk who stole more than $80,000 in court fines will spent one year in prison for her crime.

Airiel Vrejean Wright, 26, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of theft by taking in Magistrate Court. She was also sentenced to 10 years on probation once she is released from prison. She was ordered to pay back the $81,292.35 she stole from the city’s court system, according to a news release from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.

The investigation into Wright began in July 2012 after a customer of the court complained about getting incorrect change for a payment, according to the release. As a clerk, Wright was responsible for taking payments for citations, and investigators found that Wright pocketed the tens of thousands in cash payments over a two-year period. A review of Wright’s transactions revealed the computer system she used had been manipulated to show payments made for less than what was actually paid, according to the release.