Goodwill Charges Former CFO Tim Ligon of Over $ 75,000 in Credit Card Fraud | New

Tim Ligon, 56, of Madison, former CFO of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and current chairman of the City of Madison audit committee is charged with credit card fraud to the tune of $ 75,000.

A representative for Goodwill, Brian Grady, filed a civil complaint with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office on August 23, accusing Ligon of using his company credit card to make unauthorized personal purchases in the amount of of $ 76,593.07 over a six-year period. According to the police report, the bulk of the disputed purchases were made in Morgan County.

“It is unfortunate that this breach of trust has occurred. There is zero tolerance for theft of any kind at Goodwill, ”said James Stiff, president of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia, in a press release.

According to Stiff, in March 2021, Ligon was fired after Goodwill officials discovered dozens of personal charges on his corporate credit card dating back to 2015. Ligon was offered the option of refunding the money, signing an agreement to repay all funds by August. 7, but has not yet done so.

“Sir. Ligon was immediately removed from his trust position and fired. A report was filed with Goodwill’s insurance company and a special audit was conducted by Goodwill’s audit firm Cherry Bekaert. . Ligon was offered the option of repaying the amount ($ 76,593.07) to expedite the return of these resources to mission services. Mr. Ligon has agreed to repay Goodwill no later than August 7, 2021. that he didn’t, ”Stiff said.

At the request of a legal expert in insurance, Goodwill filed a civil complaint against Ligon two weeks after the expiration of the agreed deadline.

“Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia has filed a police report with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office in Madison, Georgia, regarding the misuse of the Goodwill corporate credit card. Goodwill is cooperating fully with its insurance company and law enforcement to ensure the matter is properly investigated and dealt with, ”Stiff said. “Goodwill is committed to being a good steward of the resources that enable the organization to lift people out of poverty. “

For now, Goodwill is not looking to indict Ligon, but Stiff has said that will not be ruled out as an option in the future.

“This is just the first step,” Stiff said. “Right now it’s in the hands of the insurance company and they will investigate further than even our auditor has done. We won’t know what the next steps are until this is complete, but it is incorrect to say that no criminal charges will be sought in the future. “

Ligon did not return the Morgan County Citizen’s request for comment at the time of posting on Friday, August 27. Ligon, an active member of the local community who sits on several financial boards, is currently a partner of strategic services firm CFO SeatonHill. The partners.

Ligon’s career biography on LinkedIn lists him as the former chairman of the Georgia College and State University Business School advisory boards; Chairman of the Audit Committee of the City of Madison, Georgia; founding member, treasurer and administrator of the Morgan County Foundation for Excellence in Public Education Foundation; YoungLife Morgan County Treasurer and Finance Chairman of the Georgia Association of Charter Schools Board of Trustees.

According to Ligon’s executive profile on seatonhill.com, “Tim is an accomplished real estate and finance director, senior finance director and board advisor with over 30 years of experience in business growth, management corporate risk and corporate financial governance for leading public and private companies. retail businesses, hotels, family businesses and service businesses. Tim is currently a partner at SeatonHill Partners. He was previously CFO of Goodwill Industries, where he was very successful in repositioning Goodwill operations resulting in increased cash flow by over 300% and leading selection, bond financing and equity investment in a new 95,000 square foot campus. Prior to Goodwill Industries, Tim was CFO and Executive Vice President of Nexcen Franchise Management, Vice President and Corporate Controller of Avado Brands and Director of Operations at Ligon Enterprises, a family-owned food company. He has expertise in setting up accounting procedures and controls to help boards meet fiduciary financial reporting, compliance and disclosure requirements. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing, extensive training in graduate accounting, and is a CPA and CFMA.

Stiff said Goodwill takes all accusations of theft seriously, due to the company’s mission to improve the lives of vulnerable populations.

According to a press release from Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia, Inc., income from the sale of donated items and other community investments provides funding to subscribe for services to people facing barriers to employment. Over 86 cents of every dollar generated by Goodwill goes directly to underwriting education, skills training and job placement programs in a 35-county service delivery area. In 2019, Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia served 17,566 people, placed 6,732 people in competitive jobs and had a positive economic impact of $ 210.5 million.

Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia, Inc. is a member of Goodwill Industries International, which is a federation of 156 independent goodwill organizations, and is governed by a local volunteer board of directors.