MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A former Berkeley County deputy clerk who had faced 41 counts related to embezzlement, forgery and falsifying accounts as she was employed by the county has entered plea deal.
Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Catie Wilkes Delligatti told West Virginia MetroNews that former Berkeley County Deputy Clerk Melissa Joanna Beavers entered the plea on Sept. 3.
According to the filing document provided by the prosecutor’s office, “The Defendant, in open court, entered pleas of guilty to the following counts of the indictment:
Count One: Embezzlement, in violation of W.Va. Code § 61-3-20
Count Two: Falsifying Accounts, in violation of W.Va. Code § 61-3-22
Count Three: Forgery, in violation of W.Va. Code § 61-4-5
Count Four: Uttering, in violation of W.Va. Code § 61-4-5
Count Twenty-One: Forgery of a Public Record, in violation of W.Va. Code § 61-4-1
Count Twenty-Four: Forgery of a Public Record, in violation of W.Va. Code § 61-4-1
Count Forty-One: Forgery of a Public Record, in violation of W.Va. Code § 61-4-1
As part of the plea deal, the remaining counts of the indictment have been dismissed.
The sentencing date is set for Dec. 9.
Prosecutor Deligatti said that on that day, “The parties are free to argue for any sentence and the judge is free to impose any lawful sentence. So she could receive anywhere from probation, home confinement, the maximum incarceration or a combination.”
The parameters for sentencing, according to Delligatti, are a range: “The maximum she could receive would be an indeterminate sentence of 10-70 years, meaning she would be eligible for parole after 10 years, and with credit for good time, discharge the sentence at 35 years.”
Beavers is also required to pay restitution to the county and reimburse the auditor’s office for costs relating to the investigation. “The defendant requested three months to begin to pay restitution prior to sentencing,” Delligatti said.
The dollar amount from the original 41-count indictment was $272,080.00.
