Gwendolyn Brandon of Cumming, a former supervisor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds in connection with fake invoices she submitted to the CDC.
In its complaint, the Department of Justice (DOJ) says that from approximately August 2023 to February 2025, Brandon created fraudulent invoices that appeared to be from vendors requesting payment for goods or services provided to the CDC. The invoices triggered payments to an account she controlled.
Brandon used her role as a supervisor and her knowledge of CDC’s invoice and credit card processing system to perpetuate the fraud by causing employees under her supervision, who were unaware of the fraud, to make the payments. Through her scheme, she caused the CDC to pay at least 46 fraudulent invoices in amounts ranging from $2,230 to $9,970, resulting in the theft of $190,461.50 in government funds.
The sentencing hearing for Brandon is scheduled for Sept. 3.
As part of her plea agreement, Brandon agreed to resign from the CDC and never apply for employment with the federal government again, nor will she seek to do business with the federal government as a contractor or vendor.