Guilty plea may bolster civil lawsuit

In a move that may bolster Wendell's civil lawsuit against its former finance director, Barbara Archer Raper plead guilty last week to embezzling more than $80,000 from the town over a number of years.

Raper, 70, was sentenced to a prison term of five to six months in Wake County Superior Court on Oct 11. Raper's sentence was suspended, however, and she was placed on three years of supervised probation. She was also ordered to pay $12,224 in restitution to the town of Wendell and the State Bureau of Investigation and to undergo a mental health assessment.

Raper worked as Wendell's finance manager for 34 years. She resigned in November after being placed on administrative leave.

In early September Raper was charged with embezzling $83,759 from the town, though Wendell officials believe she stole much more. A town audit found that $276,764 had been misappropriated since early 2000.

After concluding authorities did not have enough proof to charge Raper with stealing all the misappropriated money, the town filed a civil suit against Raper in an attempt to recover the money. The lawsuit describes a scheme in which Raper altered checks and financial documents and concealed or destroyed financial records.

The lawsuit also revealed that the town intends to go after Raper's assets, which include more than 100 acres of property with a combined tax value of more than $800,000.

Raper's attorney could not be reached for comment today.

Wendell has a population of about 4,500. Its annual budget was just under $7 million during the last fiscal year.