MARIETTA — Billing fraud leads to 3 court reporters being indicted by Cobb County Grand Jury.
The court reporters who worked for Cherokee County, are accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars through billing fraud. By billing for work not performed, the three were indicted on racketeering charges.
Cherokee District Attorney Shannon Wallace requested the investigation related to irregularities found in the court billing in mid-July, according to reports through Cherokee County Sheriff’s Lt. Jay Baker in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The suspects were arrested in September.
The investigation concluded that the three intentionally mis-formatted court records and received extra reimbursement for which they were not entitled. The report stated investigators believe the fraud has been ongoing since as far back as 2006.
The Cherokee DA recused herself from prosecuting the case in Cherokee County which led to the Cobb County indictment. Betty Petersen, 73, Kimberly Probst, 50, and Tammy Stine, 55, all from Woodstock, were indicted for violation of the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (or RICO).
In all, the women are suspected of stealing an estimated $485,000. Individually, Stine is suspected of stealing over $225,000, with Petersen and Probst stealing $55,000 each.
