IT manager for Midlands town accused of making nearly $60K in fraudulent purchases
A now-former employee of a Midlands town is accused of making $57,000 in fraudulent purchases, authorities said.
Bea Daniels, who was the IT manager for the town of Lexington until December 2023, was arrested by the state Law Enforcement Division and charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent over $10,000, per a release from the town.
“In early December 2023, the Town of Lexington Finance Department uncovered discrepancies with invoices submitted from the purchasing card assigned to Bea Daniels,” according to the news release. “An internal audit of this purchasing card uncovered numerous unauthorized expenditures with misleading documentation and fraudulent invoices associated with these purchases. The alleged unauthorized purchases were over $57,000 and occurred from July 2021 to December 2023.”
According to the release, the town asked SLED to investigate on Dec. 8.
The town noted that Daniels was placed on administrative leave Dec. 12 as it completed an investigation. She was subsequently terminated Dec. 15, ending a tenure as IT manager that began in September 2014.
In the months leading up to her dismissal, Daniels advised town officials on the municipality’s coming transition from a .com URL to a .gov URL for its official website, which is anticipated to be completed at some point next year.
.jpg)