LEXINGTON, S.C. — The former information technology manager for the Town of Lexington is being accused of using tens of thousands in public funds for her own use.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced Monday that they'd charged 64-year-old Beatrice Lyon-Daniels with breach of trust with fraudulent intent.
According to an arrest warrant, the alleged incident took place between July 1, 2021 and December 7, 2023 while Daniels was employed at the IT manager for the town. SLED agents said the woman used a purchasing card issued by the town to buy items on the town's Amazon account. However, SLED states these items were all for her own personal use.
In all, SLED said the woman made over $57,000 in unauthorized purchases.
The Town of Lexington said their finance department uncovered discrepancies with invoices from the purchasing card in ealry December of 2023. They add that an internal audit showed numerous unauthorized expenditures with what they call "misleading documentation and fraudulent invoices."
The town said on December 8 they asked SLED to investigate, and on December 12, Daniels was put on administrative leave while an internal investigation took place. She was fired on December 15.
Daniels had worked as the town's IT manager for over nine years before she was dismissed. After the charges were announced she was booked at the Lexington County Detention Center.