DALTON –Amanda Cunningham, former Assistant Director with the Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center, has entered a guilty plea and been sentenced for one count of felony theft by taking.

The Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center provides shelter, advocacy, and support to victims of domestic violence in the Dalton area, and receives funding from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), a state agency. An initial investigation by the Dalton Police Department determined that Cunningham used a credit card belonging to the Center to purchase debit cards from Kroger and Office Depot. The debit cards were ostensibly obtained to provide financial assistance to victims assisted by the Center.

Auditors with the Office of the State Inspector General (OIG) eventually verified that between October 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021, debit card purchases totaling $58,408 did not benefit victims, but instead went directly to Cunningham. Further analysis of the purchases revealed that Cunningham used her work email address to open a PayPal account, which she then used to funnel funds to her personal bank account. 

On June 24, 2022, Amanda Cunningham entered a guilty plea to felony theft by taking. She was sentenced to 20 years of probation, with 180 days to serve in local confinement, a $1,000 fine, 100 hours of community service work, and $83,408 in restitution to the Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center and the victim’s insurance carrier. 

For further information, please contact the Office of the State Inspector General at [email protected]