Local News

Ex-Official Pleads Guilty To Stealing $80,000 From Wendell

Posted Updated

WENDELL, N.C. — The former finance director of Wendell has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $80,000 from the eastern Wake County town over several years.

Barbara Archer Raper, 70, received a suspended sentence of five to six months in jail and was placed on three years of supervised probation. She was also ordered to pay $12,224 in restitution to the town and the State Bureau of Investigation and to undergo a mental health assessment.

Raper resigned last November after overseeing Wendell's finances for 34 years.

An audit last fall found the more than $275,000 had been misappropriated since 2000.

Authorities said all they could prove in court that Raper stole was about $84,000, but Wendell officials have filed suit against her to recover all the money.

The suit alleges that Raper altered checks and financial documents and concealed or destroyed financial records.

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.