David Wayne Horton
15 July 2020
The final defendant indicted in a $5 million fraud scheme against the city of Lynn Haven pleaded guilty to wire fraud. The fraud charges relate to contracts for debris removal in the wake of Hurricane Michael. David Wayne Horton, who was the city’s Community Services Director at the time of the fraud, entered a guilty plea to wire fraud. The charge stemmed from a 35-count federal indictment that included the former Lynn Haven city manager.
The indictment alleged that ECS and Greenleaf submitted invoices that were false and fraudulent, but then-City Manager Michael White approved them and directed city employees to immediately pay ECS and Greenleaf for those invoices. The other defendants advanced the conspiracy, which defrauded Lynn Haven of approximately $5 million.
Horton admitted to signing and certifying fraudulent time sheets that purported to show how various individuals had performed hurricane clean-up work for the city.
With Horton’s guilty plea, everyone who has been indicted thus far has admitted to their role in the fraud.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bay County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
Source: Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida
