U.S. Department of Justice News Release:
Pensacola, Florida – Thomas F. Kirwin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced today the conviction of former Okaloosa County Sheriff Charles “Charlie” W. Morris, 59, of Shalimar, Florida.
Appearing before Senior United States District Judge Lacey A. Collier, Morris confessed his guilt to each of the six federal crimes charged by an indictment returned last month: conspiracy to commit theft of programs receiving Federal funds, by converting to their own use and the use of others property and funds of Okaloosa County and of the Sheriff’s Department (Title 18, United States Code, Section 371 - Count One); stealing, fraudulently obtaining, converting to the use of others, and misapplying over $5,000 of those funds (Title 18, United States Code, Sections 666, - Counts Two, Three); conspiracy to commit money laundering (Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1956(a)(1)(i), (B)(i), and (B)(ii) - Count Four); engaging in monetary transactions and property derived from specified unlawful activity (money laundering) (Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1957, 2 - Count Five); and conspiracy to commit theft of honest services by means of wire fraud (Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349 - Count Six).
Morris admitted that while the incumbent Sheriff of Okaloosa County, he and his then- Director of Administration and Finance and co-defendant, Teresa Adams, 50, Niceville, Florida, created fictitious bonuses to sheriff’s department employees. Sheriff’s Office employees were directed to return all or a portion of the bonuses in the form of cash and cashier’s checks under the pretense that these returned funds were to be used for charitable purposes.
Morris’ plea was incident to a “Plea and Cooperation Agreement” with the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, which requires that he cooperate fully and truthfully with the United States Attorney and agencies involving any matter under investigation, to include debriefing and testifying at grand jury or trial as requested. The Agreement includes Morris’ commitment to surrender all forfeitable assets to the United States or agencies designated by the United States, transferring such assets prior to his sentencing. At the end of his plea colloquy, Morris stated, “I apologize to you and this Court for being here today.”
Morris will be sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Collier on Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. The conspiracy to commit program fraud theft (Count One) is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or both, 3 years of supervised release, and courtordered restitution. The theft from programs receiving federal funds (Counts Two and Three) is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and
court-ordered restitution. The conspiracy to commit money laundering (Count Four) is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of $500, 000 or twice the value of the involved property (whichever is greater), 5 years of supervised release, and court-ordered restitution.
The money laundering is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of $250, 000 or twice the value of the criminally derived property (whichever is greater), 5 years of supervised release, and
court-ordered restitution. The wire fraud conspiracy (Count Six) is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of $250, 000, 5 years of supervised release, and court-ordered restitution.
The indictment and resulting guilty plea resulted from an investigation by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randall J. (Randy) Hensel.
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SHALIMAR, Fla. (AP) _ A Panhandle sheriff charged with fraud and
money laundering is expected to avoid trial by entering a plea on
Tuesday.
According to court documents, suspended Okaloosa County Sheriff
Charlie Morris is scheduled to appear in federal court in Pensacola
Tuesday morning to change his not guilty plea.
Federal prosecutors allege Morris pocketed more than $80,000 by taking kickbacks from bonuses he gave his employees.
FBI agents arrested Morris in Las Vegas in February.
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