Former West Virginia mayor, treasurer indicted for embezzlement and fraud
By Austin Simms,
16 hours ago
Former Ft. Gay mayor Joetta Hatfield and town recorder Sheila Preston Bowen are accused of stealing more than $370,000
CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Wayne County grand jury has returned a nine-count indictment against former Fort Gay Mayor Joetta R. Hatfield and former Treasurer and Recorder Sheila K. Bowen.
The two are facing charges of embezzlement, fraudulent schemes, conspiracy, falsifying accounts, and computer fraud, following allegations that they diverted more than $370,000 in public funds over an eight-year period.
According to the indictment, which is based on an investigation by the West Virginia Auditor’s Public Integrity & Fraud Unit, the alleged misconduct took place between February 2017 and February 2025.
Investigators say Hatfield and Bowen used their official positions to issue unauthorized vendor and payroll checks, withdraw cash, overcompensate themselves for leave, and adjust utility payments—all for personal gain.
Hatfield is accused of embezzling approximately $245,000, while Bowen is alleged to have taken around $127,000.
West Virginia State Auditor Mark Hunt said the investigation began after a routine financial audit by the office’s Chief Inspector Division.
“These indictments demonstrate the importance of regular oversight when it comes to protecting taxpayer dollars,” said Auditor Hunt.
The indictment further alleges that Hatfield and Bowen manipulated the town’s financial records and computer systems to conceal the fraud and misrepresent Fort Gay’s financial status.
If convicted, both face significant prison time and may be required to pay restitution.
The auditor’s office says that an indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
- A grand jury indictment is not proof of guilt nor innocence, but a charge by the grand jury after looking at evidence that there is enough to merit a trial.
Here’s another reporter’s look at the indictments:
Former Fort Gay mayor, treasurer indicted in embezzlement investigation
By Jessica Patterson
18 hours ago
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new information.
FORT GAY, W.Va. (WOWK) – The former mayor and treasurer/recorder of Fort Gay have been indicted following allegations of embezzlement.
According to West Virginia State Auditor Mark Hunt, a grand jury in Wayne County indicted former mayor Joetta R. Hatfield and former treasurer/recorder Sheila K. Bowen on charges of embezzlement, fraudulent schemes, conspiracy, falsifying accounts and computer fraud. They are accused of illegally diverting more than $370,000 in public funds over eight years.
Hunt’s office says this indictment was initally meant to be released next week, but they had not been informed by the prosecutor’s office that the information was still meant to be sealed until then before it was released publicly.
Hatfield and Bowen were first charged in the investigation in November 2024. They resigned from their positions in December.
The complaints allege that Hatfield and Bowen hid the embezzlement schemes from the town council by omitting information and falsifying financial documents the council used to make financial decisions for the town. According to the complaint, both Hatfield and Bowen had signature authority for town bank accounts, as well as access to the town’s checkbooks and debit cards. Part of Bowen’s position involved reconciling all town accounts and preparing financial reports.
The original complaints stated the alleged embezzlement happened between March 26, 2019, and May 31, 2024. Hunt’s office, however, says the Auditor’s Public Integrity & Fraud Unit found the embezzlement may have begun as early as February 2017.
According to the November complaints, Hatfield and Bowen would allegedly use the checkbooks of various town accounts to write themselves checks “that were later negotiated by the suspects,” but those checks were not authorized by the town council. there was also never any documentation to support the checks, the complaints say.
The criminal complaints say the suspects’ unauthorized payments allegedly included 107 checks written to Hatfield, totaling $96,425.20, and 103 checks written to Bowen, totaling $94,540.14. Bowen and Hatfield both allegedly signed all the checks to fulfill the two-signature requirement, the complaints state.
According to the complaints, the payments were allegedly disguised on town registers as payments “with arbitrary amounts” to various vendors the town uses. Those allegedly falsified payments to vendors were not brought before the council to consider, the complaints state.
The complaints accuse Bowen of using a total of $8,572.75 of the funds taken from the town accounts to pay her private electric bill over 15 different instances, and $16,036.64 to pay her phone service bill over 53 different instances. The complaint also states she allegedly admitted to using the funds to pay her bills in a recorded audio statement.
According to the complaint, Bowen also said in that recorded statement that she and Hatfield would allegedly meet in her office on Mondays to go over the registers and decide what payments to alter or omit.
The complaints accuse Hatfield of using the town’s general, sewer and water debit cards 225 times to withdraw a total of $125,243.50 from ATMs in Kentucky and West Virginia. According to the complaint, she admitted to the withdrawals in a statement and said she made them without the council’s knowledge or permission.
The complaint against Hatfield also states that she and Bowen took over the accounts as signature authorities in July 2017, shortly after they took office. The complaint accuses Hatfield of starting to route checking statements from the town’s post office box to her own around that same time.
Hatfield is also accused of using Fort Gay Water Works money to pay for her own telephone service 29 times, for a total of $3,909.97 and using various accounts’ funds to pay for her electric bills 14 times, for a total of $8,908.09, the complaints say.
According to the complaints, Bowen allegedly stated the registers “were a mess” and it could be impossible to figure out what all had been altered.
