The former finance director for Homewood, Robert Winston Burgett, who pleaded guilty Oct. 23 to embezzlement of nearly $1 million from the city, was sentenced today after pleading guilty to three federal charges of wire fraud.
U.S. District Judge Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Burgett to 37 months in federal prison and 36 months supervised release. He was ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture was ordered.The government has been seeking forfeiture of $947,059.46, the amount he was accused of embezzling.
Burgett was released on bond to report by noon on June 25 to begin serving his sentence.
Defense attorney Tommy Spina argued for a lesser sentence, noting that Burgett had lost $582,000 of his own money in an investment scam, which resulted in a sense of desperation that was an “underlying basis for his desperate actions.”
A state audit released Jan. 10 cited the city of Homewood for a “lack of or ineffective management oversight” of city finances that led to the embezzlement.
The Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts reports that lack of oversight “provided an opportunity for unauthorized expenditures.”
Homewood officials say the city was the to first to uncover suspicious movements of city funds after Burgett retired as finance director in March 2024 and immediately reported them to local, state and federal authorities.
According to the audit, Burgett attempted to embezzle more than $1.8 million, but succeeded in embezzling $947,059.46.
The city has responded to the audit with a statement outlining its actions to correct policies and practices that allowed the theft to occur.
“The city of Homewood has reviewed the Limited Special Review by the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts of the city’s financial system concerning both the use of city credit cards and a separate fraudulent misappropriation of funds by a former city employee,” it said. “The city was the first to discover both issues and quickly began taking steps to improve Homewood’s oversight of its accounting system.”
Insurance has covered $500,000 of the more than $947,000 that Burgett illegally transferred into his personal accounts. The city is working to recover additional monies, officials said.
