Two Berrien County men working for a south county landfill operation have been arraigned on embezzlement charges for a scheme they employed to illegally divert nearly a quarter of a million dollars from operations to a company that never provided any service whatsoever to the landfill, and now both men face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic says that 46 year old Clyde Davis Fuller III of Buchanan has been charged with conducting a criminal enterprise and embezzlement over $100,000 in his role as Director of the Southeast Berrien County Landfill located on Mayflower Road in Niles Township. Those are both felonies punishable by up to 20-years in prison. Also charged is 54 year old Terry Eldon Snow of Eau Claire who is charged with aiding and abetting a criminal enterprise and embezzlement over $100,000 also both felony charges punishable by up to 20-years in prison.
Sepic tells us the charges stem from their work at the Southeast Berrien Landfill Authority following an investigation over the past several months by the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s team was looking into payments made by the Landfill Authority to a company called GT&S Enterprises.
Those payments totaled approximately $249,000 in the timeframe from December of last year to June of this year. Public records link GT&S Enterprises to Goldie Snow, the mother of Terry Snow.
Sepic says payments from the Landfill Authority to GT & S Enterprises coincided with transfers to bank accounts owned by Fuller and Snow individually. Landfill Authority records show Fuller authorized payment of GT & S invoices, however, the Landfill Authority itself was not made aware of any relationship between GT & S Enterprises and Fuller or Snow prior to authorizing payment for invoices from GT & S Enterprises. The investigation revealed that GT & S provided no services to the landfill.
At their arraignment today, bond for Fuller was set at $20,000 personal recognizance and for Snow at $10,000 10%. Their pre-exam conference is set for December 20, 2017 and their preliminary examination hearing for December 27, both at 8:30 in Berrien County’s St. Joseph court.
Sepic reminds that the charge is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
