Ashley Clark Ingram, a former finance director at Habitat for Humanity of Central South Carolina, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. The sentence follows her guilty plea to charges of theft of government funds.
Court evidence revealed that Ingram misappropriated funds while applying for an employee retention tax credit intended for retaining employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. She applied on behalf of Habitat for Humanity without the nonprofit's knowledge and received checks amounting to $388,550.75 from the United States Treasury. These funds were deposited into a Habitat account she controlled before being transferred into her personal accounts. Overall, Ingram diverted approximately $514,672.37 from both Habitat for Humanity and the U.S. Government.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis handed down a 24-month imprisonment sentence, which will be followed by two years of court-ordered supervision. In addition to serving time, Ingram must pay restitution of $30,165.47 to Habitat for Humanity and was fined $10,000 along with a $100 special assessment fee.
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews.
