Ex-West Virginia Mayor Pleads Guilty to Stealing Flood Relief Funds

Article

A former mayor in West Virginia has pleaded guilty to stealing federal relief funds meant to rebuild his city after a massive 2016 flood.

Ex-Richwood Mayor Bob Henry Baber, 70, pleaded guilty Monday in Nicholas County Circuit Court to one count of obtaining money, property or services by false pretenses, state Auditor John B. McCuskey said. He was accused of pocketing $2,444 from the city of Richwood.

Baber isn’t the only local official who got in trouble. The city had received more than $3.1 million in federal flood recovery money from 2016 to 2018, and a portion of that was diverted by city officials for personal use, McCuskey said in a statement.

A trial on similar charges for another former Richwood mayor, Chris Drennen, was postponed indefinitely in April while she continues to cooperate with authorities.

When the charges were announced in March 2019, McCuskey described his investigation as a whirlwind that began by looking at Baber’s actions and quickly grew into a citywide accounting of where the federal flood recovery money went.

According to an audit, the city didn’t keep track of the federal money, diverted funds away from their intended use and shelled out almost a quarter of a million dollars for consultants to help the city with the grant, according to audit. It also says Drennen and others were allowed unfettered discretion to pay themselves, family and friends nearly $500,000 after the flood.

In June 2016, thunderstorms drenched the region with as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain. A river that runs alongside Richwood swelled over, leading to flooding of more than 5 feet (1.5 meters). At least 23 people died statewide, and homes and infrastructure throughout the city were damaged or destroyed, according to the audit.

Baber led Richwood in the wake of the flood. In 2018 a three-judge panel approved the city council’s request to remove Baber from office.

“I regret my actions from the bottom of my heart,” Baber said. “It was a terrible lapse of judgment to press for payment for volunteer flood recovery work performed before I was sworn in as mayor. I clearly and unequivocally recognize it was illegal, wrong, and unethical.”

Baber faces up to 10 years in prison along with being ordered to pay restitution. Sentencing has been set for Oct. 12.