The Berkeley County Commission voted to pursue civil litigation against Barbara Gail Gooden and Lisa Lee French, two former Sheriff's Office employees federally indicted for an alleged decades-long embezzlement scheme totaling more than $3 million.
Prosecutors allege over 700 fraudulent transactions, including more than 550 forged checks across at least 59 conservator accounts between 2007 and 2024. The county's Legal Director says the civil suit is meant to compensate victims sooner rather than making them wait out a lengthy criminal process, and the pair's state pensions have already been frozen.
Officials concede the lawsuit guarantees nothing — recovery depends on what assets can actually be found — but a looming statute of limitations is forcing the county's hand now.
The full dispatch is available from the source below.