Former department of health employee pleads guilty to felony ethics charge

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According to a press release by the office of the Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, former state employee Yoshiko Denise Givner has pleaded guilty to forging travel reimbursement forms worth $15,000.

According to an April 20, 2018 report by WSFA.com Givner was “arrested and charged with theft, criminal possession of a forged instrument, and using their office for personal gain.” They went on to report:

Givner is specifically charged with criminally possessing 19 forged instruments with the intent to defraud, committed theft of more than $2,500, and used her office as an employee of the ADPH for personal gain.

The AG’s office would not provide any other details except to say the charges are felonies with a maximum penalty of up to 20 in prison fine fines up $15,000 for each of the criminal possession of a forged instrument charges, and up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $30,000 for the theft and use of office charges.

Givner worked as an administrative assistant at the Alabama Department of Public Health.

Marshall’s office said that Givner forged her supervisor’s name to documents in order to collect mileage and travel expenses for trips she didn’t take.

The forgeries occurred between 2013 and 2016. According to records from Open.Alabama Givner’s employment ended in February of 2017.

The release reads as followed:

AG GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL ANNOUNCES GUILTY PLEA BY FORMER HEALTH DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE FOR FELONY ETHICS VIOLATION

(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the conviction of a former employee of the Alabama Department of Public Health for using her official position for personal gain, a felony ethics violation. Yoskio Denise Givner, 32, of Montgomery, pleaded guilty yesterday in Montgomery County Circuit Court. The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division.

Givner used her former position as an administrative assistant for the Alabama Department of Public Health to falsify travel vouchers, forging her supervisor’s name on documents requesting payment for per diem and mileage she did not earn because she did not travel. Between October 2013 and August 2016, Givner used this scheme to steal more than $15,000 from the State of Alabama.

A sentencing hearing will be set at a later date. Givner faces a maximum penalty of two to 20 years of imprisonment and up to a $30,000 fine.

“Public employees are entrusted to conduct themselves in the service of the people of Alabama with integrity and honor, and when that trust is violated as it was by this defendant, I am committed to prosecute those who use their positions for illegal personal gain,” said Attorney General Marshall.

He thanked the Alabama Department of Public Health for its vigilance in reviewing the illegal vouchers and its assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this case. He commended the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division, noting in particular Assistant Attorney General Peggy Rossmanith and Special Agents for their outstanding work to achieve this conviction.