Jennifer O’Neal, a former employee of a Georgia nonprofit that supports abused and neglected children, pleaded guilty to stealing $96,713 from the organisation between 2018 and 2022, according to the US Department of Justice. She used the money for personal expenses, including Netflix, Six Flags, lingerie and home theatre equipment.O’Neal worked as a programme specialist for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Polk & Haralson, Inc., known as CASA of Polk & Haralson. The nonprofit recruits, trains and supports citizen volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in courts and in the community.As part of her job, O’Neal was responsible for processing payroll and expense reimbursements for staff and volunteers. According to information presented in court, she used that position to make repeated fraudulent payments from CASA’s bank accounts to herself and others.The payments were made between 2018 and 2022 and were not for legitimate CASA expenses. Some were presented as mileage payments for court appearances or conferences, while others were described as reimbursements for restaurants, groceries, utilities and clothes for staff, volunteers or children. Investigators found that some of those expenses were actually for O’Neal’s personal use.
How the payments were made
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, some of the mileage claims were inflated, while others were based on journeys that never took place. The expense reimbursements were also used to cover purchases and bills that had nothing to do with the nonprofit’s work.O’Neal used CASA funds to pay her own power, water and sewage bills, as well as her cell phone bills. Other payments were used for expenses at a Six Flags amusement park and for a Netflix subscription.The stolen funds were also used to buy softball equipment and lingerie, according to the court information. In another instance, O’Neal issued payments that were described as being for office supplies. The money was instead used to buy home theatre equipment, which she installed at her home.The DOJ said the payments were made frequently over several years rather than as a single incident. In total, O’Neal took $96,713 from CASA of Polk & Haralson.
Officials say funds were meant for children
US Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said the money had been intended to support abused and neglected children. “O’Neal violated her company’s core values, stealing tens of thousands of dollars meant to support the most vulnerable members of our community- abused and neglected children,” Hertzberg said. He also thanked state and local law enforcement agencies that worked on the investigation.The FBI also described the theft as a repeated act. Mitchell Jackson, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent in the FBI Atlanta’s Cartersville Office, said O’Neal had not taken the money because of a single, sudden decision. “This was not a one-time, spur of the moment decision. Jennifer O’Neal frequently and repeatedly stole from her company for her own personal gain,” Jackson said. He added that the FBI was committed to investigating criminal conduct of this kind.
Investigation and guilty plea
Chris Hosey, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said organisations working with vulnerable people depend on employees to maintain high standards of integrity.“Organizations that serve vulnerable individuals depend on their employees to uphold the highest standards of integrity. O’Neal violated that trust for her own personal gain, stealing funds intended to serve abused and neglected children,” Hosey said.He also said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation would continue working with local, state and federal partners to hold people accountable for abusing positions of trust.O’Neal, 63, of Cedartown, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging her with theft of federal programme funds. The plea was announced by the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia on September 15.O’Neal’s sentencing is scheduled for December 17, 2026, at 3 pm. The hearing will take place before United States District Judge William M. Ray, II.
