On Wednesday, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced that former Pickens County School Superintendent Carlton Wilson and his wife, Cindy Wilson, have been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in November to theft and racketeering.
“Carlton and Cindy Wilson stole from the pockets of hardworking Georgians, and now they will spend time in prison for their illegal actions,” said Carr. “This final outcome is a major victory for all those who fell victim to the couple’s fraudulent schemes, from a Boy Scout Troop to a pair of local business owners. Theft and deception of any kind will not be tolerated, and we are proud to have brought this case to court so we could put a stop to this criminal activity.”
Carlton Wilson pleaded guilty to 1 count of Racketeering, 1 count of Theft by Taking, 6 counts of Theft by Taking by a Fiduciary, 1 count of Theft by Deception, and 1 count of Theft by Conversion. He was sentenced to 15 years, with the first three years in prison and the rest on probation.
Cindy Wilson pleaded guilty to 1 count of Racketeering, and 1 count of Theft by Taking. She was sentenced to 15 years, with the first two years in prison and the rest on probation.
As explained in a press release from Carr’s office, “In 2009, a private land owner generously donated 10 acres of land to a Boy Scout Troop in Pickens County… Years later, despite the land having been donated to the Boy Scouts, Carlton Wilson sold the property and kept $26,420 instead of giving it to the Troop. He subsequently spent that money on personal expenses over a four-month period in late 2021.”
“In 2021 and 2022, Carlton Wilson was employed at the District Attorney’s Office in the victim advocacy department. After a serious physical injury, he exhausted the balance of his paid sick leave and certified that he was still unable to work. As a result, Pickens County permitted him to draw from a bank of county employee-donated hours. Yet, during this same time period, Carlton Wilson was actively working at a private business that had the same physical requirements. In total, he unlawfully collected more than $6,000 in donated leave from the Pickens County Government,” the press release continued.
“Between March 2017 and February 2022, both Carlton and Cindy Wilson embezzled funds from the private business they shared with two other partners. In total, the Wilsons wrote checks totaling $79,069.24 from the company and deposited them into their personal account,” it added.