Cobb Juvenile Court Workers Plead Guilty in Conspiracy

MARIETTA, GA -- Two people affiliated with Cobb Juvenile Court pled guilty this week to conspiracy, racketeering and other charges in the misuse of grant money and drug-treatment funds belonging to the county.

Between 2012 and 2015, the defendants fraudulently spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Juvenile Drug Court Accountability programs. Some money was paid for work that was never done, some contractors were paid in advance for work outside the grant cycle, and other money purchased equipment and paid for items not authorized by the grants. All of the money was obtained through the intentional submission of false invoices.

On Monday, former Juvenile Court employee Marian ‘Mea’ Fagiola, 49, of Smyrna, pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the state or political subdivision, racketeering, and two counts of false statements or writings. Fagiola, who had administrative oversight of the invoicing process, admitted that a majority of the 75 invoices listed in the indictment contained a material falsehood, causing money to be wrongly paid out.

She claimed she had learned to do it that way, and that she did it for the good of the children. Fagiola was sentenced to seven years on probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

This afternoon, Deborah Ponder, 48, of Marietta, pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the state or political subdivision, racketeering, and theft by taking. Ponder had an office in Juvenile Court as the part-time executive director of Reconnecting Families, a non-profit group created to assist the court. That organization paid her a salary of $40,000 per year in 2013-2014 and $50,000 per year in 2015. She also received a little over $60,000 in grant funds from Cobb Juvenile Court between April 2013 and April 2015, supposedly at the rate of $25 per hour for work above and beyond her duties with Reconnecting Families.

However, she did not track her hours or submit time sheets, and both she and Fagiola admitted that the invoices submitted to the State were false. Ponder was sentenced to five years on probation and ordered to pay restitution of $30,000.

“This case is an example of a clear violation of the public trust. Taxpayer dollars must be carefully guarded and policies must be in effect to assure abuses of this nature do not occur in Cobb County,” DA Vic Reynolds said. “Thankfully, these defendants admitted their guilt and have now been held accountable for their actions.”

ADA Jason Marbutt, who prosecuted the cases with Deputy Chief ADA John Melvin, said: “Good people do bad things. Bad people do good things. The law applies to them the same. That is what accountability is all about. Hopefully, the Juvenile Accountability Court programs will continue to deliver that message."

Charges remain pending against the fourth defendant, Carrie Kennedy.