Former Madison County Finance Director Charged with Theft by Taking

The former Madison County Finance Director has been charged with stealing funds from a State association.

The GBI has arrested and charged Melissa Branyon Tolbert, age 42, of Danielsville, GA, with five felony counts of theft by taking.

According to GBI spokeswoman Natalie Ammons, on July 29, 2022, the Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office requested the GBI investigate stolen funds from the Constitutional Officers Association of Georgia (COAG) bank account.

The theft, originally reported by officers of COAG, concerned several unauthorized transactions while Tolbert was employed with COAG from May of 2018 to June of 2022.

During this time, Ammons said Tolbert had access to the stolen funds.

However, Madison County Commission Chair Todd Higdon told the Madison County Journal they have done an internal financial audit of the county’s funds and everything is correct and they found no wrongdoing.

He said the information came from  “several sets of eyes working as a team just to verify.”

The chairman told the paper that the soon-to-be-approved 2023 budget is also solid.

Madison County commissioners officially terminated Tolbert from her position in a brief meeting on the matter last week.

Ammons said the investigation is active and ongoing and Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI Athens Field Office at (706) 552-2309.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.