CHARLESTON Former Williamson mayor has been sentenced for stealing tens of thousands of dollars during his time as a hospital executive.
Charles Hatfield avoided prison when he was sentenced Thursday in a Charleston federal courtroom. The former mayor and CEO of Williamson Memorial Hospital was sentenced to five years of federal probation for stealing hospital funds.
The 62-year-old admitted to taking $34,872.62 without authorization for personal use.
In May 2019, Hatfield used nearly $9,200 in hospital funds to purchase a cashier’s check payable to a person connected to a Florida apartment management company. He later admitted the funds were used to settle a lawsuit involving unpaid taxes and fees on a condominium he owned in Venice, Florida.
In September 2019, shortly before being removed as hospital CEO, Hatfield transferred more than $25,000 of hospital funds to his real estate company, Mid Mountain Properties. Hatfield told business partners the money was used to pay a personal debt, knowing the hospital would struggle to cover employee benefits. He acknowledged the payments were unauthorized by the hospital’s board of directors.
Williamson Memorial filed for bankruptcy soon after the transfer.
Hatfield, who resigned as mayor last May, has been ordered to pay $34,872.62 in restitution and a $20,000 fine.
PHOTO | Boothe Davis, Captured by the Moment Photography