News Summary
Harrell Sukhram, a former Tallahassee employee, faces 39 felony charges for fraudulently inflating his pay by over $28,000 through manipulated payroll logs from 2020 to 2022. The investigation revealed he created fake profiles and accessed city systems without authorization. Despite a plea agreement leading to probation and restitution, this case raises concerns about internal controls in municipal payroll systems.
Tallahassee – Harrell Sukhram, a 69-year-old former employee of the city of Tallahassee, has been charged with manipulating payroll logs to fraudulently pay himself over $28,000. Sukhram is facing 39 felony charges, including grand theft, organized scheme to defraud, and criminal use of personal identification information as a result of his actions, which spanned from 2020 to 2022.
According to court records, Sukhram created numerous fake user profiles in the city’s payroll system to inflate his compensation. Notably, some of these accounts utilized the personal information of other city employees, including five deceased individuals. Evidence collected by investigators revealed that Sukhram intentionally accessed city systems and manipulated payroll files without proper authorization, an act characterized by Tallahassee Police Detective Tammy Pinkerton as willful and deceitful.
As part of a plea agreement, Sukhram accepted a withheld adjudication sentence, which allows him to serve probation and pay restitution without a formal conviction on his record. He was sentenced to one day in jail and one day of probation while being mandated to repay all amounts associated with his fraudulent activities. Sukhram repaid the total owed prior to his final court hearing, eventually entering a “nolo contendere” plea, indicating he acknowledged the evidence was sufficient for conviction, yet did not admit guilt.
Sukhram’s sentencing follows an extensive investigation that began just over two years earlier, in 2021. During this time, the city of Tallahassee chose not to publicly announce either Sukhram’s termination or the criminal charges against him. An internal audit conducted by the city had previously revealed discrepancies in Sukhram’s pay dating back to 2012; however, it specifically identified fraudulent alterations to the city’s systems benefiting him from 2020 onward.
Before these fraudulent activities surfaced, Sukhram had received a pay raise, alongside accommodations such as the ability to work remotely. In December 2022, Payroll Manager Tricia Scott became aware of pay discrepancies exclusively related to Sukhram, which ultimately led to his suspension and termination from city employment. Notably, after his dismissal, Sukhram continued to create fake accounts in the payroll system for an additional four days.
Throughout the investigation, Sukhram contended that a supervisor had approved his time cards, implying that the discrepancies resulted from a payroll system malfunction that wrongly credited him with extra hours. However, investigations uncovered that Sukhram possessed high-level access and familiarity with the payroll system, allowing him to edit payroll exports rather than simply adjusting timesheets.
In addition to restitution, Sukhram has been ordered to forfeit a substantial portion of his retirement benefits due to his fraudulent activities, although he remains eligible to receive some retirement funds. This case underscores significant lapses in oversight and controls within city payroll systems, prompting necessary reviews to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The fallout from Sukhram’s actions not only highlights the direct impact on city finances but also raises broader questions about the adequacy of internal controls and the detection processes employed in municipal payroll systems. City officials are expected to review and strengthen the existing policies to ensure fairness and accountability in administrative practices moving forward.
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Author: STAFF HERE TALLAHASSEE WRITER
The TALLAHASSEE STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HERETallahassee.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Tallahassee, Leon County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as Springtime Tallahassee, Tallahassee Jazz & Blues Festival, and LeMoyne Chain of Parks Art Festival. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and United Way of the Big Bend, plus leading businesses in education, healthcare, and insurance that power the local economy such as Florida State University, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, and Capital Health Plan. As part of the broader HERE network, including HEREJacksonville.com, HEREOrlando.com, HEREStPetersburg.com, and HERETampa.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into Florida's dynamic landscape.
