The city clerk of Quincy in Gadsden County has been charged in connection with an alleged scheme to swindle the city out of money for municipal cemetery plot sales.
Her alleged take? A little over $7,000.
Janice Yvette Shackelford, 62, has been charged with one count of organized scheme to fraud, one count of grand theft, six counts of forgery, six counts of uttering, one count of misuse of public office and one count of violating the Florida Public Records Act, court records show.
According to records, Shackelford was charged in Miami-Dade County years ago in a similar fraud scheme. When she worked for then-state Rep. Daphne Campbell, Shackelford was arrested in 2012 “after she allegedly charged constituents phony fees for assistance that never materialized,” the Miami Herald reported.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated complaints against Shackelford “from constituents who said she charged them for assistance on mortgage issues, immigration concerns and traffic violations,” the Herald reported.
A judge eventually withheld adjudication, meaning there was no formal finding of guilt, but did order Shackelford to serve three years on probation, Miami-Dade court dockets show.
Shackelford was hired by the city of Quincy in July 2020, though in her application she did not reveal her past legal trouble, according to the latest arrest report. City officials later found out but her job status was unchanged.
In November 2022, the city initiated a policy that it would no longer accept cash payments for services at City Hall. Despite this decision, Shackelford accepted cash payments for cemetery plots and then never handed over the money, law enforcement said.
The total amount of money received by Shackelford that was never deposited is, at minimum, $7,134.50, the report said.
A first appearance was held Aug. 27 before Judge Ronald W. Flury, court dockets show, but no plea forms, attorneys of records or future court dates were listed.
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Quincy city clerk charged in cemetery plot fraud scheme, law enforcement says
Reporting by Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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