Clarke County Democrat

Grant administrator Janey Galbraith found guilty of fraud charges




Janey Galbraith, a longtime grant writer and administrator who has handled numerous projects for local governments in southwest Alabama, was found guilty by a federal court jury in Mobile last week for defrauding the government and trying to cover it up in connection to grant projects in Bayou La Batre.

Galbraith was found guilty on all five counts she was charged with.

Galbraith administered a pair of housing grants for lowincome subdivisions in Bayou La Batre in the wake of Hurricane Katrina for a fee of $1 million each.

She was convicted of altering federal documents to pass an audit and conspiring with Bayou La Batre Mayor Stan Wright to defaud FEMA.

Wright was indicted on fraud charges also and faces a separate trial later.

Galbraith was accused of changing the eligibility requirements for three applicants.

Another of the charges was a conspiracy charge to use the FEMA funds to purchase a fifth of an acre as part of a location for a low-income subdivision for storm victims. The land had been owned by Mayor Wright but he gave it to his daughter who sold it to the city for just over $27,000. However, the daughter then wrote checks to her parents after she was paid.

Prosecutors say Galbraith helped pushed the illegal deal through the city council by saying it was legal.

Galbraith could face a year to 18 months in prison when she is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kristi DuBose Sept. 14. She is appealing the jury’s decision.



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