A former Highland County administrator who was investigated by Virginia State Police after tens of thousands of dollars of county funds went missing was recently indicted on a felony charge.
Roberta A. Lambert, 65, is accused of stealing an estimated $20,000 in 2022 and 2023.
Lambert is charged with embezzlement of public funds, according to Highland County Circuit Court records.
She resigned in January after the allegations surfaced, nearly 20 years after becoming Highland County's administrator. Lambert worked for the county for 45 years.
The allegations first came to light in early January after an announcement was made at a board meeting by Highland County Supervisor Henry A. Budzinski Jr. that state police were investigating the alleged misappropriation of county funds. During the meeting, Budzinski said an unnamed employee had been placed on paid leave during the probe.
After going into a closed session, a decision was made to contact the Staunton accounting firm of Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates to perform an audit as part of a fraud investigation into a credit card issued to the board of supervisors.
Based on the audit, it was alleged Lambert had used public funds “for her own personal ventures,” an affidavit said.
She resigned in mid-January. Lambert's salary was $88,471.
Her first court hearing is slated for Sept. 17, where a trial date is expected to be set, court records show. Lambert was indicted June 18 by the Highland County grand jury.
Jerri Botkin has taken over as the interim county administrator for Highland County.
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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Former Highland County administrator indicted on felony embezzlement charge
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