CHOMEWOOD, Ala. (WIAT) — Robert Burgett, the former finance director for the city of Homewood, could face decades in prison after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $1 million from the city. On Friday, Burgett pleaded guilty to three federal counts of wire fraud following his earlier arrest on aggravated theft by deception charges.
According to his plea deal, Burgett embezzled over $947,000 from city accounts between May 2023 and at least March 2024. He concealed his actions by transferring funds into a bank account under the name “Burgett Builders Contemporary Enterprise,” which was not an authorized vendor for Homewood and provided no services to the city. Burgett then made 20 electronic transfers to his account, 15 of which were successful, totaling approximately $947,059.46.
The plea agreement detailed how Burgett falsified Homewood’s bank statements by using whiteout correction fluid to remove records of the fraudulent transfers. He then scanned and forwarded the altered statements for the city’s bank reconciliation process.
Burgett’s scheme came to light when Homewood police started an investigation on April 3 after noticing irregularities in the movement of city funds. Burgett, who had retired from his position on March 31 after 13 years as finance director, was arrested shortly thereafter.
At 64 years old, Burgett now faces up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000. He was initially released on a $500,000 bond and placed under GPS monitoring. His case remains ongoing as he awaits sentencing.
