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A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Wheeling's former human resources director to six months in prison for defrauding taxpayers of about $80,000 during her employment with the city.
Teresa D. Hudrlik, 48, of Valley Grove pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in October. She was the city's human resources director from April 2016 to March 2018.
She admitted that during her tenure with the city, she used a city-issued purchasing card to make personal purchases without authorization. Hudrlik also admitted to altering receipts and documentation to disguise those purchases, to giving herself payroll bonuses without authorization, and to causing unauthorized payroll payments in the names of other city employees to be deposited into personal banking accounts Hudrlik controlled.
"We must hold our public employees to a high standard, expecting them to operate as hardworking and honest public servants. The vast majority meet or exceed those expectations," said U.S. Attorney Bill Powell. "Ms. Hudrlik violated the sacred public trust, and was prosecuted and sentenced for that violation, in accordance with the rule of law. We commend the city of Wheeling and its cooperation in this matter."
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey ordered Hudrlik to pay $80,000 restitution to the city, as well as a $50,000 money judgment. She also was ordered to serve three years supervised release following her incarceration.
"The city of Wheeling's employees are required to hold the public trust in a very sacred manner and senior members of the city's management, being administrators, are held to an even higher standard and higher level of expectations of honesty. As public employees, we are required to operate municipal governments in a fair and fiducially prudent manner concerning the public funds. This employee violated all such levels of trust," said Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron.