Former Massac County official pleads guilty to wire fraud, mail fraud
BENTON – Christopher Thompson, 30, of Kevil, Ky., pleaded guilty on Nov. 9 to one count of wire fraud and seven counts of mail fraud for engaging in a scheme to defraud the Massac County Emergency Management Agency.
Thompson was the assistant director of the Emergency Management Agency in Massac County and also served as the IT manager for the Massac County Board of Commissioners.
The guilty plea was announced in a news release posted online by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.
As part of the plea, Thompson admitted to using official business accounts to pay for personal expenditures and admitted to opening up business lines of credit without authority for personal use causing a loss in excess of $50,000.
As part of the plea, Thompson consented to forfeiture of items fraudulently purchased and otherwise consented to a forfeiture judgm ent in the amount of $52,054.51.
Thompson’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2022.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Each count of wire fraud and mail fraud carries a statutory maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, three years of supervised release and restitution.
The FBI’s Springfield Division conducted the investigation of the case with the assistance of the Massac County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Norman Smith and Monica Stump are prosecuting the case.