Court assistant admits to stealing

An office assistant with the Jasper County Magistrate Court has admitted to skimming potentially thousands of dollars from court accounts, according to an opinion the disciplinary arm of the South Carolina Supreme Court released Monday.

In a written statement to investigators taken in June, magistrate office assistant Paula Willis admitted stealing cash meant to be deposited in court accounts, according to the state document. The opinion states she instead used the money to pay personal bills.

Examination of court bank records revealed $15,742 missing as of July 2007, according to the opinion, and Willis took full responsibility for the missing money. She said her boss, magistrate Donna D. Lynah, had "nothing to do with this."

Nonetheless, the Supreme Court ordered a 90-day suspension without pay for Lynah effective Monday for not following various judicial rules related to oversight, according to the opinion.

"It's certainly not common, but it's more common that the financial accounting management is the problem, and not stealing," said Lesley M. Coggiola, disciplinary counsel for the Supreme Court. "In this case, there happens to be wrongdoing, too, with Ms. Willis."

In small offices, Coggiola said separation of duties and oversight procedures for magistrates' finances can be particularly difficult to follow because of limited personnel, but insisted, "They just have to follow the rules and make sure they're checking up."

With Lynah suspended, the Jasper County Magistrate's Court is left with a bruised reputation and only two full-time judges.

Chief magistrate Joanne McDonald declined to comment on Willis, but said actions have been taken to prevent future misconduct. On the impact on the public's perception of the court, McDonald had little to say.

"How should I know? ... The public probably wasn't going to know about it; they don't generally go to the (Supreme Court's) Web site," she said.