January 26th, 2020 by WCBC Radio
Former Minearl County Chief Deputy Circuit Clerk, Gary Duane Feaster, was charged Friday with a felony criminal Information for Embezzlement and Fraudulent Schemes based on an investigation and prosecution by the West Virginia State Auditor’s Public Integrity and Fraud Unit.
The Information charges Feaster with stealing greater than $1,000 in public funds from the Mineral County Circuit Clerk’s Office by virtue of his position. State Auditor, John B. McCuskey, applauded the handling of the case by the local authorities working with his office to bring the case to court. “This case is exactly how government works best. Something suspicious caught the attention of county employees, who brought it to the attention of local police, who called us in to provide the specialized financial crime investigation skills we can perform,” said McCuskey. “Prosecutor Cody Pancake gladly accepted the services of our special prosecution staff who handled the case from beginning to end.”
The evidence presented by the prosecutor shows Feaster took between $65,000 and $87,000 from the circuit clerk’s office over a period of 3 years. Some of the monies belonged to crime victims, for restitution, and were never paid by him. The case is being heard by Judge C. Carter Williams special circuit judge assigned to the case. “These matters are serious and will be treated as such. You will see several more cases like this in the very near future,” McCuskey added. “If anyone knows of any fraud against the state, county or local government, they should call (833) WV-FRAUD or file an anonymous online report at www.wvsao.gov.”
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