Former Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner Gets Prison Time For Embezzlement Scheme

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Former Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner Lynne Campbell Robbins will serve time in prison after pleading guilty this week to using her position for personal gain and other related charges.

Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the conviction, saying Robbins pleaded guilty to her public employment for personal gain, which is a Class B felony; theft in the first degree, a Class B felony; and computer tampering for the purpose of committing unlawful act or to defraud, a Class C felony.

Marshall said Robbins agreed to serve 28 months in prison and to pay $136,511.55 in restitution to Tuscaloosa County.

Marshall then said Robbins agreed that she used her position as the Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner to take $136,511.55 from Tuscaloosa County between 2016 and 2019.

Indeed, Robbins admitted to writing a series of sixteen checks from her personal checking account made payable to the License Commission totaling $4,850 in 2019.

Robbins reportedly placed these checks into the License Commission’s cash drawers and took $4850 in cash.

Marshall said these checks were returned unpaid due to non-sufficient funds in her personal checking account and she did not return the face value of the checks, thus avoiding the $30 fee that was charged to the citizens of Tuscaloosa County who bounced checks at the License Commission

What's more, Marshall said Robbins also used her access to the License Commission’s computer network and database to access the public’s licensing transactions to take money.

To explain, Marshall said Robbins would “refund” a previous sales tax or license plate transaction and take the amount of the refund out of the License Commission’s cash deposits for herself.

He then said the Tuscaloosa County taxpayers who obtained their tags in those transactions did not receive the money from the refunds, while Robbins obtained $131,881.55 through this scheme.

As Patch previously reported, Robbins served as the Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner from October of 2017 to December of 2019, working for the county division since 1999.

She was indicted by a Tuscaloosa County grand jury in August of 2021.

“A public servant is entrusted with protecting taxpayer funds, but Robbins took advantage of that trust for personal gain,” Marshall said. “Public corruption has a ripple effect, and we must root out the problem to rebuild trust in our communities.”

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.