A former office manager in Mobile, Alabama, has been sentenced to 75 months in prison after being convicted of stealing more than $1.8 million from her employer over a ten-year period. Kelley James Williamson, 47, worked for two related companies for about 20 years and carried out the scheme by misusing an officer’s signature stamp to write unauthorized checks to herself and by electronically transferring company funds into her own accounts.
The fraud was uncovered when the company Controller found that Williamson had written unauthorized checks totaling approximately $222,000. This discovery led to an internal investigation revealing that the thefts began in early 2014 and continued until November 2024. The investigation also showed that the total loss was much greater than initially thought.
After Williamson confessed her actions to the employer’s lawyer, the Secret Service was contacted. In addition to its protective responsibilities, the Secret Service investigates financial crimes. Working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, their investigation determined the full extent of Williamson's activities and losses suffered by the businesses.
Before formal charges were filed, authorities seized more than $79,000 from Williamson’s bank accounts as she had made significant purchases ahead of 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 forfeited and sold. The U.S. Attorney’s Office plans to restore these funds to help offset the businesses’ losses. The court ordered Williamson to pay restitution for the remaining amount.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello commented on the impact of such crimes: “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,” Costello said. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who victimizes businesses to line their own pockets.”
Resident Agent in Charge Jennifer Nissen of the U.S. Secret Service Mobile Resident Office stated: “Ms. Williamson took advantage of her employer’s trust, stealing more than $1 million from a business here in the Mobile community,” Nissen said. “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 case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service Mobile Resident Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex F. Lankford IV.
