Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
A Mobile woman, Kelley James Williamson, was sentenced to 75 months in prison for stealing more than $1.8 million from her employer over a ten-year period. Williamson, who worked as a manager for two related companies in Mobile for approximately 20 years, misused an officer’s signature stamp to write unauthorized checks and electronically transferred company funds into her own bank accounts.
The theft was uncovered when the company Controller found that Williamson had written about $222,000 in unauthorized checks to herself. An internal investigation revealed that the fraudulent activity began in early 2014 and continued until November 2024. The investigation also determined that the total loss to the businesses was much larger than initially suspected.
After Williamson confessed to the employer’s lawyer, the Secret Service was contacted. The Secret Service investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and discovered the full extent of Williamson's actions and their financial impact on the businesses.
Prior to formal charges being filed, authorities seized over $79,000 from Williamson’s bank accounts in an effort to preserve assets for restitution. She had reportedly spent lavishly leading up to Mardi Gras 2025 while serving as queen of a local carnival organization. Her crown, valued at over $2,000, was also seized and will be sold as part of efforts to recover losses for her former employers. The court ordered that any recovered funds be returned to the affected businesses and required Williamson to pay restitution for the remaining amount.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello stated: “Financial crimes can and do devastate businesses and the families which own them. Unfortunately, this defendant chose to betray the businesses’ trust they’d placed in her, which is a gut punch to the people who worked side-by-side with her and trusted her all those years,” adding: “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who victimizes businesses to line their own pockets.”
Jennifer Nissen, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Mobile Resident Office said: “Ms. Williamson took advantage of her employer’s trust, stealing more than $1 million from a business here in the Mobile community,” and continued: “The U.S. Secret Service does not tolerate those who exploit our financial systems, and we appreciate our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama as they worked tirelessly to bring the defendant to justice.”
The U.S. Secret Service Mobile Resident Office led the investigation into this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex F. Lankford IV prosecuted on behalf of the United States.
