NC Wildlife employee charged with using funds for personal expenses

A former North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission employee was charged in April with using public organizational funds for personal gain.

Kristopher Scott Smith, 47, of Angier, was charged April 21 with nine counts of obtaining property under false pretenses. According to N.C. Wildlife, Smith worked for the organization from August 2004 to December 2021. He left that role at the same time as the State Bureau of Investigation was notified about alleged misuse of his purchasing card.

According to court documents, between 2013 and 2021, Smith used a purchasing card issued to him by N.C. Wildlife and cards for the employees he supervised to "purchase personal items that were not for official use and to transfer funds into a personal PayPal account."

The documents state the public funds were used for home improvement, groceries, clothing and other personal items.

State records show Smith was earning an annual salary of $86,000 in a supervisor role, but he is no longer employed by N.C. Wildlife.

Smith was released from jail under a $25,000 bond. He first appeared in court on April 23.