Photo Credit: Alpha Stock Images / Nick Youngson / Creative Commons 3 – CC BY-SA 3.0
The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –
The former director of a defunct Nashville nonprofit has been indicted by a Davidson County grand jury on charges of theft over $2,500, forgery over $10,000 and computer theft by fraud over $2,500.
The Tennessee comptroller’s office investigated and said it found Julia Armstrong, the former director of Phases Inc., took at least $6,260 through false claims for services not provided.
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The nonprofit, which received grant funds from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (MHSAS), provided transitional housing and support for women in drug and alcohol addiction recovery.
Armstrong is accused of making at least 135 fraudulent entries for services between April 2017 and June 2018, including multiple claims for clients who were incarcerated at the time.
After MHSAS reported its concerns to the comptroller’s office in 2018, the department found Phases had closed. The office was unable to reach Armstrong during the investigation.
Investigators also found 100 disbursements, totaling $4,645, that included “cash withdrawals and purchases made at liquor stores, lottery stores, tobacco stores, restaurants, car washes, and retail stores” with many coming in Kentucky and Florida.
About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.
