Okaloosa Sheriff Charlie Morris and his administrative director have been indicted by a federal grand jury. They face a maximum of 65 years in federal prison and up to $1.5 million in fines if convicted on all five counts.
The indictment indicates between May 24, 2007, and Feb. 13, 2009 that Adams or Morris handed out bonuses that ranged from $3,000 to $15,000 and received kickbacks ranged from $1,000 to $12,000.
They will appear in Federal Court in Pensacola on Monday for an arraignment hearing, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
There are five counts to the indictment:
1. On 26 occasions, Morris and Adams allegedly conspired to obtain kickbacks from bonuses provided to Sheriff’s Office employees.
2 & 3. The pair, as officers of a government agency that receives more than $10,000 in federal grants, violated federal statutes by obtaining funds of greater than $5,000 through fraud or theft.
4. Morris and Adams committed illegal financial transactions.
5. “The defendants caused the withdrawal of $40,000 from the account of Teresa Adams … at the Beach Community Bank, the withdrawal being in the form of a cashier’s check payable to S.T., which funds making up the cashier’s check consisted of kickbacks from employees of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.”
Read full indictment: morris pdf