Aug 12, 2015 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – Carolyn Hillberry, the former treasurer who forged more than $69,000 worth of checks to the Brave Water and Sewer Authority over three years, figured it would be a long time before members of the community could ever forgive her.

She said the shame of forging hundreds of checks and stealing public money to buy clothes and shoes would likely linger for the rest of her life, but it might also help to keep her on the “straight and narrow.”

Hillberry, 56, of 121 Freedom Street, Brave, pleaded guilty May 12 to one charge of theft and 116 counts of forgery in the embezzlement scheme from January 2011 to August 2013 in which she siphoned money from checks written to the water authority.

“As I said in my (confession) letter, I will pay for what I done the rest of my life,” Hillberry said during her sentencing hearing Wednesday morning. “I won’t forget it and no one will let me forget it, and I don’t want to because it will keep me on the straight and narrow for the rest of my life.”

Greene County President Judge Farley Toothman sentenced Hillberry to 90 days in jail, which can be served on weekends, and pay $56,604 in restitution to the water authority and another $25,000 to its insurance provider that kept the organization afloat after its coffers were drained. She is to report to the Greene County jail Friday night to begin serving her sentence.

She wrote confession letters in August 2013 to her family, the water authority board and the Wayne Township Board of Supervisors explaining what she had done before being hospitalized after attempting suicide. Hillberry attributed the thefts to a history of depression and said she is now undergoing counseling to help with anxiety.

“I told them what I had done and that I was very sorry and that I hoped they would forgive me,” Hillberry said while testifying. “I’ve suffered from depression for as long as I can remember … and that was the thing that broke it all open.”

Toothman asked Hillberry “how many pairs of shoes can you buy” with that amount of stolen money.

“You’d be surprised,” Hillberry responded.

She has since repaid $4,000 to the water authority using the $475 monthly disability checks she receives from Social Security.

The authority, which operates its own sewage treatment system and purchases treated water for distribution from the Morgantown Utility Board in West Virginia, serves about 80 customers in Brave.

John Brookover, the new water authority president, testified at the hearing they began noticing discrepancies and problems in the summer of 2013 and it was later revealed they had missed 13 monthly payments to the state Department of Community and Economic Development, along with late payments to MUB, which threatened to shut off service. The township immediately gave a $4,000 loan and eventually fronted about $27,000 to keep the authority functioning, Brookover testified.

Hillberry spent nearly three years as treasurer and treasure, and worked 30 to 40 hours each week. She made about $100 a week.

Hillberry said her husband, who was the water authority’s president at the time, would sign the checks, which raised questions about why two relatives were permitted to perform the dual signatures necessary to cash the checks.

Greene County District Attorney Marjorie Fox questioned Hillberry what ultimately made her confess and noted that Wayne Township officials has requested a third party perform an independent audit when questions arose about the authority’s financial situation.

“I wanted to come clean before they found it out. I thought it would be better if I confessed,” Hillberry said.

Judy Rastoka, testified that her older sister has showed “great remorse” and that she is helping to care for a 60-year-old cousin who is mentally disabled. Rastoka said her sister has suffered from depression for years and she is now noticing improvements.

“I know she’s working hard to get well,” Rastoka said. “She’s an important part of our family.”

Toothman noted that Hillberry had no prior criminal record, but said that the 116 instances of forgery could be view as separate crimes in which she continued to steal.

“There’s just no justification for a public official in your position stealing money to buy household goods, clothes, shoes,” Toothman said.

Toothman ordered Hillberry to continue paying at least $500 each month. After her release from the weekend jail terms, she will spend nine months on house arrest with electronic monitoring and must perform 300 hours of community services.

“I know it will take a long time for people to forgive me, and I know there are people who won’t, but I pray some day they will,” Hillberry said.