A Palm Beach County school district employee is on the hot seat after being accused of pilfering a hefty portion of COVID-19 relief funds meant for a confidant who considered her a family friend for over a decade.

Yarnell Williams, a school official with the District of Palm Beach County, has been slapped with an administrative leave label following her arrest. The charge: allegedly funneling federal aid into her own coffers, relief cash that was intended to help the victim and his family weather the economic storm brought on by the pandemic. The theft surfaced when the IRS, on a routine tax recovery mission, informed the unsuspecting victim, according to a CBS12 report.

The victim, plagued by literacy challenges, had sought Williams' assistance in navigating the bureaucratic labyrinth required to lay claim to the aid. Trusting her with sensitive personal details, he was led to believe his application was denied, CBS12 stated. It wasn't until the IRS came calling for taxes on money he never knew existed did the troubling truth begin to unravel.

Detective work traced the use of a Way2Go card loaded with the relief funds to a time and place that coincided with Williams' presence in New Orleans. Williams, after being confronted, admitted to the deed to the victim's wife and even suggested repaying the IRS to keep the law at bay, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detailed. Yet, when cornered by law enforcement, Williams' tune shifted to denials followed by a "right, right," and an eagerness to directly address the victim, potentially to "prevent them both from getting in trouble," as revealed in the probable cause affidavit, as per CBS12.

In the wake of the controversy, the School District of Palm Beach County has taken action against Williams, who served as the single school culture coordinator at Washington Elementary School, confirming her administrative leave status, as per a post by journalist Al Pefley on X. She has also been directed to remain at home, deprived of her role in the school during the investigation.

 

Palm Beach County school employee accused of stealing victim's COVID-19 relief money @cbs12 https://t.co/nB8HXPxasW

— Al Pefley (@PefleyAlCBS12) May 3, 2024