April 12, 2021
SRTA Supervisor indicted for toll violation theft and computer crimes
ATLANTA - On Thursday, April 8th, 2021, former State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) supervisor Shamira Brown was indicted by a Fulton County Grand Jury on 11 counts of Computer Trespass, 2 counts of Theft by Taking, and 2 counts of Forgery in the Fourth Degree.
SRTA operates tolled transportation facilities within Georgia and manages the collection of tolls on Georgia’s Express Lane System through the use of Peach Pass, the state’s all-electronic tolling technology. Individuals who use Express Lanes without a Peach Pass transponder are sent violation notices for the unpaid tolls and administrative fees.
Brown was employed by SRTA as a back office supervisor. One of Brown's duties was to process toll violation payments received from toll violators.
In August of 2019, SRTA discovered that Brown had taken a money order sent to SRTA for payment of a toll violation and altered it to make herself the payee. A subsequent investigation revealed that Brown had deposited at least twelve money orders totaling $315.39 intended to pay toll violations to SRTA into her personal account. To conceal the thefts, Brown altered data in the SRTA computer network in an attempt to remove data related to the toll violations. At no time were Peach Pass customer accounts affected.
The case was initially referred to the Office of the State Inspector General by SRTA. OIG Investigators Richard Schneider and Roy Williamson led the investigation, and Assistant Attorney General Blair McGowan is prosecuting the case.