Horry County’s former head of information security sentenced after stealing over $340K worth of county IT equipment
Horry County SC Sept 9 2020
A judge sentenced Horry County Government’s former head of information security to two years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands worth of information technology equipment from the county and selling it online.
Shawn Petrill, who was the county’s chief information security officer, was also ordered to pay back more than $340,000, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Peter McCoy.
“Those who steal from our local governments are raiding the South Carolina taxpayers,” said McCoy, who represents the District of South Carolina, in a statement. “This is unacceptable, and as this case shows, we will seek prison time and restitution against those who engage in such theft.”
From June 11, 2015, through Aug. 23, 2018, Petrill ordered 41 Cisco 3850 network switches to be installed on Horry County’s network, the release said.
The county received federal program funding during that stretch, and Petrill said he would install the switches when they arrived.
Prosecutors said Petrill didn’t install the switches on the network and instead sold them to third parties, keeping the proceeds. He sold several of the switches on eBay and other websites.
The theft had an impact of over $345,000 on the county’s budget.
“From the very earliest, we worked with the government to enter a plea,” Petrill’s attorney, Tommy Brittain, previously said. “We tried to be cooperative from the very start.”
A 12-year county employee, Petrill was making just over $108,000 a year when he lost his job in 2018 following an unrelated incident.
What led to his departure isn’t described in his county personnel file, but he signed a separation agreement in September 2018 that forced him to stop working but allowed him to continue being paid into November of that year.
A few weeks after his employment formally ended, officials discovered the theft, according to public records.
During an inventory and accounting audit, the IT department found some items were missing from existing inventory, according to an Horry County police report.
Brittain, Petrill’s lawyer, has said his client had been having financial problems, so he bought IT equipment with public money and then sold it online.
County officials have made policy changes to guard against this type of crime, though specifics were not disclosed.
Petrill’s sentence is to be followed by a three-year period of court-ordered supervision. The federal system does not have parole.
Horry County police assisted the FBI with the investigation.
“I appreciate the dedicated work of our law enforcement partners and government officials in Horry County who provided critical assistance in this case,” McCoy said.
myhorrynews.com
