Alabama water manager charged; attorney said up to $1.5M in personal charges made to utility’s credit cards

Published 4:56 pm Wednesday, February 23, 2022

A former manager at a Mobile-area water system was arrested Wednesday on theft charges a day after authorities conducted a search amid allegations workers had used money from the utility on items including designer goods and trips.

Nia Bradley, who worked as a manager at the Prichard Water Works & Sewer Board, was charged with first-degree theft and theft by deception, news outlets reported. Mobile County authorities and FBI agents searched the system’s offices on Tuesday.

Prosecutors announced a wide-ranging investigation of the water system earlier this month, saying thousands of financial records dating back five years were under review. A board attorney, Jay Ross, previously said as much as $1.5 million in personal items might have been charged to credit cards belonging to the utility.

An attorney for Bradley, Jason Darley, told WALA-TV he had negotiated her surrender to authorities and was attempting to get her released on bail.