Sandra Daniel Hines pled guilty today to five counts of Felony Theft from the Teacher’s Retirement System of Georgia before Judge Ronnie Joe Lane in Terrell County Superior Court. After the death of her aunt, Flossie Mays, in March 1999, Hines continued to receive Ms. Mayes retirement check into their joint bank account, and to spend the money for her personal benefit. This continued from April 1, 1999 through August 1, 2003, resulting in a theft from the Teacher’s Retirement System of $76,467.55.

After investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, it was discovered that the Defendant’s mother, Daisy Daniel, had also been a schoolteacher, and that the Defendant had kept and spent retirement payments deposited into their joint account from January through August 1998, resulting in an additional $12,393.78 theft from the Teacher’s Retirement System at that time.

The Defendant entered a non-negotiated guilty plea on the eve of trial. The Defendant was sentenced to 12 to 18 months in the Probation Detention Center, with the remainder of her 50 year sentence to be spent on probation. As a condition of her sentence, she will be required to pay $75,443.18 in restitution to the Teacher’s Retirement System, a $15,000 fine, and all applicable surcharges.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Kim Schwartz and was investigated by Special Agents Joe Chestnut and Wesley Horne of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation..