Gwendolyn Brandon, a former supervisor at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, pleaded guilty to theft of government funds in connection with fake invoices she submitted.
According to U.S. attorney Hertzberg, the charges and other information presented in court indicate that, from approximately August 2023 to February 2025, while employed as a CDC administrative professional, Ms Brandon created fraudulent invoices that appeared to be from vendors requesting payment for goods or services provided to the CDC. The invoices triggered payments to an account she controlled.
She used her role as a supervisor and her knowledge of the CDC’s invoice and credit card processing system to perpetuate the fraud by having employees under her supervision, unaware of the fraud, make the payments.
Through her scheme, she caused the CDC to pay at least 46 fraudulent invoices totalling $190,461.50, ranging from $2,230 to $9,970, resulting in the theft of government funds.
Ms Brandon, 43, of Cumming, Georgia, pleaded guilty to theft of government funds yesterday. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 3, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. district judge Steven D. Grimberg.
In determining the actual sentence, the court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
As part of her plea agreement, Ms Brandon agreed to resign from the CDC, never apply for federal government employment again, and not seek to do business with the federal government as a contractor or vendor.
