From 8th Judicial District Attorney General Jared Effler -
On September 29, 2023, Lesley Adaline Chumley, 50, of Harrogate, pled guilty as charged to Theft over $250,000, a Class A felony, Official Misconduct, and Tampering with Governmental Records. Chumley was sentenced by 8th Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Zachary R. Walden to 15 years to serve in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Correction.
This case stems from an investigation conducted by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Division of Investigations. Said investigation revealed that Chumley between the years 2015 through 2022 misappropriated $618,404 in her role as a Deputy Clerk with the Claiborne County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office. Chumley accomplished this theft by abusing her position as bookkeeper by taking cash from the end of the day collections, and she concealed her theft by altering bank statements to match the general ledger. This was a sophisticated act of concealment that evaded auditors during this time period. Further, this investigation yielded no evidence of any other person being involved, and, in fact, Chumley admitted to investigators that no one was aware of her theft.
8th Judicial District Attorney General Jared Effler stated, “While it is extremely disappointing that the defendant abused her position of trust to divert public funds, I am pleased that she will be serving a lengthy sentence in the Tennessee prison system as a consequence of her actions. This lengthy prison sentence would not have been possible without the exemplary work of the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office. Their dogged determination and thoroughness uncovered the defendant’s untoward actions and saw this matter to a successful prosecution.”
Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Jason Mumpower offered the following statement: “I'm pleased to see a successful conclusion to this case. I appreciate the hard work of our investigators and auditors who first uncovered this substantial theft. I'm also grateful to General Effler and his team for not only securing a guilty plea but also arranging for restitution payment to Claiborne County."
This case was investigated by Senior Investigator Michael Jarreau of the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office. This case was prosecuted by 8th Judicial District Attorney General Jared Effler and Assistant District Attorney General Graham E. Wilson.