WWJD? Carl Hutcherson (D), the Mayor of Lynchburg, Va., who is also a minister, was indicted for Social Security fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud and lying to a federal grand jury.

Carl B. Hutcherson Jr., the mayor of Lynchburg and a prominent businessman and minister, has been indicted on federal fraud charges.

The indictment was handed down Dec. 1 but was not unsealed until Wednesday. It accuses Hutcherson, 61, of being in such "severe financial difficulty" that he took money from his own charity and from two Social Security recipients to pay back taxes and make personal purchases.
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The indictment charges Hutcherson with two counts of Social Security fraud, two counts of mail fraud, bank fraud, making false statements to an investigator and lying to a federal grand jury.

According to the document, the mayor and his business, Hutcherson Funeral Service, owed the Internal Revenue Service more than $100,000 and also owed money to the City of Lynchburg.

To pay debts, the government says, Hutcherson turned to the bank account of Trinity New Life Community Development Corp., the charity he started to help the downtrodden.

Stealing from a charity fund for the poor? That can't be good for your karma. But here's my favorite part:

Hutcherson is charged with Social Security fraud in connection with his role as "representative payee" for two Social Security recipients. In that role, he was authorized to receive their checks so long as he used the money for their needs, the government says.

The indictment claims that Hutcherson took money from those individuals, who have not been identified, and used it to buy a television, stereo, cable television service and a mattress, and to make contributions to his church in the recipients' names.

I hope he enjoyed his mattress because if convicted, Carl Hutcherson could face 105 years in prison. Gotta love those republican family values.

UPDATE: With so much corruption surrounding the GOP these days, I just assumed that Hutcherson was just another. I was wrong. Thanks to BOB from Lynchburg for telling me so. Hutcherson is a Democrat and it seems that he's actually fairly progressive (aside from the charges of social security fraud, that is).