South Fulton Today

Already under GBI investigation, Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard now faces allegations of failing to provide key campaign and financial disclosures over the last five years, a recent report from FOX 5 Atlanta said.

The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission reportedly filed a complaint claiming that Woodard failed to provide key campaign and financial disclosures for every year since 2018.

"Most elected officials are pretty good about getting these filed," Joe Cusack, deputy general counsel for the commission, told FOX 5 Atlanta. "So it’s sort of rare to see an office holder or somebody who’s held office for many years screw up these filings."

The first bylaw that Woodard, an attorney by trade first elected to public office in 2018, is accused of violating carries a fine of up to $1,000; the FOX 5 report said. Every additional count comes with a potential penalty of as much as $10,000, which Woodard could be personally liable for.

While records show Woodard has spent little or no money on campaigns over the time in question because she has had no opposition for the office, the law still requires regular reporting while allowing the possibility of any fines accrued to be paid from campaign funds.

These developments follow an October investigation that prompted the Nov. 21 execution of a Georgia Bureau of Investigation search warrant on Woodard’s office, the FOX 5 report said. The investigation had found that Woodard allegedly spent thousands of public dollars earmarked for crime victims on personal expenses such as her dog's cremation, a family member's LSAT application, a set of expensive headphones, and shopping at antique stores. Woodard has since paid back $2,000 of that money, claiming the expenses were mistakenly submitted.