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Ex-COO Admits to $4.3M Embezzlement: How She Diverted Funds for Luxury Goods and Kickbacks

Ex-COO Gatlin guilty of embezzling $4.3M from Jackson Health. She used funds for luxury items and kickbacks.

September 15, 2025, 5:24 PM

A gavel rests on a table near hands holding cash during a courtroom scene.

The gavel and cash on display in the courtroom underscored the high stakes of the legal battle being waged. By Miami Daily Life / MiamiDaily.Life.

Executive Summary

Charmaine Gatlin, former Chief Operating Officer of the Jackson Health Foundation, pleaded guilty to embezzling at least $4.3 million from the nonprofit.

Gatlin orchestrated the decade-long scheme using false invoices, kickbacks from a vendor, and by directing funds to purchase luxury goods and a golf cart for personal use.

Gatlin faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, with her sentencing hearing scheduled for November 25.

Laws and Precedent

Charmaine Gatlin pleaded guilty to embezzling at least $4.3 million, a financial crime often prosecuted under federal statutes such as wire fraud, especially given the scheme’s interstate elements involving a Georgia-based vendor who also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Her guilty plea indicates a resolution without trial, leading directly to a sentencing hearing where she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, reflecting the severe consequences for large-scale financial fraud under federal law.

MIAMI – The former Chief Operating Officer of the Jackson Health Foundation, Charmaine Gatlin, pleaded guilty on September 11 to embezzling at least $4.3 million from the nonprofit organization through a scheme involving false invoices and kickbacks. Gatlin, 52, admitted to diverting funds intended for the foundation and Jackson Health System to herself, her relatives, and other entities over a decade, using some of the stolen money to purchase luxury goods and a golf cart.

Details of the Embezzlement Scheme

According to court documents, Gatlin served as the COO of the Foundation, the fundraising arm for Jackson Health System, from 2014 to 2024. Despite earning a substantial base salary ranging from $185,000 to $290,000 annually, she orchestrated a scheme to defraud the organization of millions.

One primary method involved approving approximately $2 million in invoices from a Georgia-based audiovisual company for services that were never rendered. In exchange, the vendor paid Gatlin $1 million in kickbacks, which she used for personal expenses, including credit card bills. Gatlin reportedly instructed the vendor, identified as Yergan Jones, on how to falsify invoices, even billing for services already donated to the Foundation. Jones has also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the scheme.

Misuse of Funds and Personal Purchases

Gatlin also directed a merchandise vendor to acquire luxury items from high-end brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Apple for her personal use, in exchange for retaining the Foundation’s business. She further misused restricted donations, including approving a $55,101 expenditure for 10,000 “first aid kits” falsely labeled as “trauma burn giveaways” from the same vendor.

In another instance, Gatlin submitted a false invoice to cover the purchase of a rose gold-colored golf cart. This golf cart was then delivered to her home in Weston in September 2023, rather than being used for the Foundation’s legitimate purposes.

Legal Proceedings

Charmaine Gatlin faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for her admitted actions. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom on November 25.