Two former Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office employees indicted in alleged $3 million fraud scheme

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A federal grand jury has returned a five-count indictment charging former employees of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and multiple counts of bank fraud stemming from an alleged long-running scheme to steal taxpayer funds and misappropriate conservator account assets, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.

The indictment names Barbara Gail Gooden, age 60, and Lisa Lee French, age 48, both of Martinsburg. According to the indictment, from 2007 to 2024, Gooden and French conspired to defraud by embezzling cash payments collected by the Sheriff’s Office and manipulating conservatorship and estate bank accounts under the office’s administration. In carrying out their scheme, defendants issued fraudulent checks, forged signatures, misused a signature stamp and diverted funds for personal use.

“This office will continue to safeguard taxpayer resources, protect the interests of vulnerable individuals, and ensure that those entrusted with public responsibilities are held fully accountable for violations of that trust,” said Harvey.

As a result of the conspiracy, Gooden and French are alleged to have misappropriated more than $3 million. The alleged fraud included fraudulent checks drawn from conservator accounts and issued either to the “Berkeley County Sheriff & Treasurer” or to a private business, to benefit Gooden and French. In total, the defendants allegedly carried out more than 700 fraudulent transactions, including over 550 forged checks, withdrawing substantial funds from at least 59 conservator bank accounts.

The United States also seeks forfeiture of any property derived from the offenses, including a money judgment.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. Investigative agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office. The Berkeley County Prosecutor’s Office and the Berkeley County Commission cooperated in this case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.