The former sheriff of Barbour County has pleaded guilty to a felony ethics charge accusing him of depositing office funds into his personal bank account.
Ex-Sheriff Leroy Upshaw, 52, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of using his office or official position for personal gain, the Alabama attorney general's office said in a news release.
Prosecutors said Upshaw, or an employee working at his direction, wrote Upshaw checks totaling $32,135 drawn from sheriff’s office bank accounts. The money was meant to support law enforcement and the care of prisoners, but Upshaw deposited those checks into his bank accounts or those of family members, the attorney general's office said.
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"Abusing the taxpayers’ money will not be tolerated in our state, and I am pleased the defendant will be held accountable for betraying the public’s trust," Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a statement.
Upshaw was sheriff of Barbour County from 2007 to 2019.
