A woman who previously worked as the director of finance and operations for Habitat for Humanity in Central South Carolina has been sentenced for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the federal government.
Ashley Clark Ingram, 35, was sentenced last month to two years in federal prison after she pleaded guilty to theft of government funds, the U.S. Department of Justice announced in February.
“Evidence presented to the court showed that while employed as the director of finance and operations for Habitat for Humanity, Ingram applied for an employee retention tax credit for retaining employees during the COVID-19 pandemic from the IRS on behalf of Habitat for Humanity, but without the knowledge of the nonprofit,” the DOJ said. “Ingram then received checks totaling $388,550.75 from the United States Treasury and deposited the funds into a Habitat for Humanity account that she controlled then transferred the money from the Habitat for Humanity account into her own bank accounts.”
“In total, Ingram misappropriated approximately $514,672.37 from Habitat for Humanity and the United States Government,” the DOJ added.
U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Ingram to two years in prison, followed by two years of court-ordered supervision. She was also ordered to pay “a remaining balance” of $30,165.47 to Habitat for Humanity, as well as a $10,000 fine and a $100 special assessment fee. Ingram had already paid back nearly all of the money she stole.
Ingram pleaded guilty last June to the theft, the South Carolina Daily Gazette reported.
“There’s a terrible irony in this case,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews said, according to the outlet. “She stole money from an organization that helps people get housing of all things.”
Habitat for Humanity’s interim executive director, Emily Fernald, told the Gazette that Ingram’s crimes weren’t just about the money but the “reputation of our organization.”
Because of Ingram’s theft, 16 families in South Carolina saw their home construction delayed as the charity dealt with financial issues. The homes were still being built, but the work slowed, and the charity lost donors.
“They have to overcome what you did,” Judge Lewis said before sentencing Ingram.
Ingram’s attorney claimed she stole the money because of her personal financial struggles. Her husband had lost his job, and they lived in an unsafe neighborhood. She wanted to escape and used some of the stolen money to buy a new house.
But as Fernald said, many of the people who seek out Habitat for Humanity face similar problems.
“These are folks who worked extremely hard to get where they are in life,” she said, according to the Gazette. “But they’re not stealing. They’re not lying.”
