Cheryl Gray, Mail Fraud, West Virginia 2014

Cheryl Gray, a former employee of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, has been sentenced to prison for stealing cash payments made by applicants for concealed weapons permits. Gray, 44, of Hilltop, West Virginia, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for mail fraud.

The crime took place in Fayette County, West Virginia, where Gray’s duties included the collection of application fees for concealed weapons permits and creating a list of permits issued by Fayette County to the West Virginia State Police. Gray previously pled guilty to mail fraud in June of 2014.

According to the investigation, Gray stole the cash payments made by applicants for concealed weapons permits by omitting close to 400 names of applicants who had paid in cash from the lists she submitted to the West Virginia State Police. This resulted in a combined loss to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and West Virginia State Police of approximately $40,000.

The West Virginia State Police, Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation into Gray’s crimes.

Defendant Cheryl Gray was sentenced by United States District Court Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. in federal court in Charleston, West Virginia.

The crime, which continued for more than six months, has resulted in a significant loss for the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and West Virginia State Police.

Gray’s sentence serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability in public office and the consequences of violating the trust placed in public servants.

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