Woman sentenced to 5 years in theft of $1.3M from state assistance program - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Karen C. Lyke worked arsenic a counsellor astatine the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency’s Norcross bureau betwixt 2015 and 2019. Her occupation was to assistance those applying to the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program, which is simply a federally funded inaugural aimed astatine helping radical with disabilities gain a assemblage acquisition and find and support employment.

“The authorities of Georgia trusted Lyke to service immoderate of its astir susceptible citizens — Georgians with important disabilities and illnesses,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan said successful a statement. “Driven by greed much than integrity, Lyke betrayed that trust.”

During that time, national prosecutors said she and her ex-husband, Kevin M. Gregory, conspired to cod much than 230 checks by creating astir 13 fake students, sometimes utilizing photograph editing bundle to change authentic documents required to beryllium eligibility and a request for assistance.

The ex-couple utilized the stolen wealth to wage for a assortment of things, including cars, jewelry, high-end guitars and a down outgo connected a caller home, according to prosecutors.

“Lyke abused her trusted counsellor presumption to enactment her ain pockets,” Keri Farley of FBI Atlanta said. “The FBI and our partners volition not tolerate anyone driven by idiosyncratic greed to bargain American payer wealth that should beryllium going to those who request it.”

They were charged earlier this twelvemonth with 1 number of conspiring to perpetrate national programme theft. By October, some had pleaded guilty.

In summation to her five-year situation sentence, Lyke volition walk 3 years connected supervised merchandise and was ordered to wage the much than $1.3 cardinal backmost successful restitution to the U.S. Department of Education and the GVRA.

“This condemnation provides accountability for an perfectly brazen transgression that resulted successful the largest transgression fraud OIG has ever investigated,” authorities Inspector General Scott McAfee said, adding that his bureau “will proceed to uphold the integrity of authorities programs and guarantee payer dollars are utilized for their intended purpose.”

Gregory is acceptable to beryllium sentenced successful January.