On Tuesday, Robert Burgett, 63, was charged with felony Aggravated Theft by Deception after authorities were made aware of irregularities in the movement of city funds through his role as the City of Homewood’s former finance director. Burgett worked for 13 years in that capacity, before retiring on March 31 of this year.

“When suspicious transactions were noticed, we quickly and appropriately notified authorities of what we found and took appropriate stops to freeze any questionable disbursements,” said Homewood Mayor Patrick McClusky, according to news reports.

According to local authorities, the Homewood Police Department Criminal Investigation Division, with assistance from the Birmingham field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office initiated an investigation.

On April 9, 2024, Homewood Police Detectives obtained an arrest warrant through the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office on Robert Burgett, age 63 of Helena, for the class A felony charge of Aggravated Theft by Deception.

He will be transferred to the Jefferson County Jail and will be held on a $500,000 cash bond. This is an ongoing investigation, authorities say.

Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270