FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
May 9, 2012
For More Information, contact:
Luther Strange
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Alabama Attorney General
Suzanne Webb (334) 242-7351
Jeff Sommer (334) 353-2199
Page 1 of 1
FORMER ESCAMBIA WORTHLESS CHECK COORDINATOR
SENTENCED FOR ETHICS VIOLATION AND FORGERY
(MONTGOMERY) – A former worthless check coordinator for the Escambia County District
Attorney’s office was sentenced yesterday for felony ethics and second-degree forgery convictions.
Monica Lynn Watson pleaded guilty on April 16, just before her trial was set to begin.
For each of the two counts, Watson was sentenced concurrently to six years. Her sentence was
split to serve 24 months which will follow a six-month probationary period. She was also ordered to
perform 300 hours of community service and to pay a fine of $1,500 along with the costs of court. A
review hearing is scheduled for November 13.
Watson pleaded guilty to the intentional misuse of her public position for unlawful personal
gain through the mishandling of funds in the worthless check unit and to second-degree forgery of a
motion that purported to be signed by the District Attorney for the dismissal of a case against a
defendant.
“This case involves extensive documentation from the Examiners of Public Accounts of misuse
of funds totaling $10, 259,” said Attorney General Strange. “It is important that this defendant is being
held to account and punished for her crimes for betraying the public trust and abusing government
funds.”
Charges against Watson arose from information in an audit of the Escambia County District
Attorney’s Office conducted in 2008 by the Examiners of Public Accounts, covering the period of
September 1, 2006, to May 31, 2008. Discrepancies in funds of the Worthless Check Unit (WCU) led to
further inquiries, which uncovered money that had been received by the District Attorney’s Office but
not receipted in the WCU. It was discovered that two money orders had been deposited into Watson’s
credit union account. Furthermore, there was no record in WCU records for certain people who had
paid cash to and had handwritten receipts from Watson, but the receipts were logged in under
someone else’s name. The Examiners’ audit also cites Watson for filing motions to dismiss cases saying
that those defendants had paid all money they owed when they had not, and that the motions were
stamped with the District Attorney’s signature. According to the audit, $10, 259 was stolen from the
WCU, which Watson initially refused to repay but later did so.
Attorney General Strange commended those who handled this case, noting in particular
Assistant Attorneys General Bill Lisenby and Stephanie Billingslea and Paralegal Lori Arnold of his
Public Corruption and White Collar Crime Division, and Special Agents of the Attorney General’s
Investigations Division. He thanked the Examiners of Public Accounts and the Escambia County
District Attorney’s Office for valuable assistance.
–30–
501 Washington Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104 (334) 242-7300
www.ago.alabama.gov
