Former Tuscaloosa Co. License Commissioner Indicted For Misuse Of Office, Theft & More

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Former Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner Lynne C. Robbins has been indicted on several charges connected to her time in the office, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Thursday.

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Robbins, 56, is charged with using a public office for personal gain, theft of property in the first degree, and seven counts of computer tampering. She reportedly surrendered to the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Thursday and was released after her bond was set at $10,000.

Robbins served as Tuscaloosa County’s license commissioner until her resignation in February 2020, as Patch previously reported when the investigation first began. In her role, she was tasked with overseeing an office that consistently has a high volume of money coming through it — approximately $24 million annually.

The investigation was handled by the Attorney General's Special Prosecutions Division, which presented the evidence to a Tuscaloosa County Grand Jury that resulted in the indictment.

Marshall then stated the use of public office for personal gain charge against Robbins relates to a series of checks she wrote to the Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner’s office that were returned unpaid for non-sufficient funds. She is also accused of using her position as license commissioner to avoid paying the returned-check fee assessed in bad-check cases and to avoid repaying the face amounts for the unpaid checks.

Additionally, the first-degree theft charge is due to an alleged scheme between January 2016 and December 3, 2019, to take cash belonging to the Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner’s Office.

Prosecutors assert that the seven computer tampering charges are connected to specific instances where Robbins altered data in the Tuscaloosa License Commissioner’s Office’s computer network to "facilitate her embezzlement scheme and to conceal the scheme from discovery by county or state officials."

As Patch previously reported, allegations point to modifications totaling $131,180.96, which were made from 2016-2019 using the credentials of the former license commissioner. This was in addition to modifications totaling $5,025.57 that were made from June 13, 2017 through July 8, 2019 using the credentials of the deputy license commissioner.

Both use of office for personal gain and theft of property in the first degree are Class B felonies, punishable by two to 20 years in prison if the suspect is found guilty.

Marshall's office then explained that, because the state alleges Robbins’ computer tampering was committed to facilitate her embezzlement scheme and to conceal her illegal conduct from government officials, the charge is considered Class C felony. This is punishable by one year and one day to 10 years in prison.

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