The former executive director of Hinesville Housing Authority and an unlicensed contractor with whom she allegedly had a romantic relationship have been indicted on federal charges related to over $2.5 million in wire fraud losses to the authority.
Melanie S. Thompson, 55, of Savannah, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 19 counts of wire fraud, and two counts of false, fictitious, or fraudulent claims. These charges come from allegations between as early as September 2019 through October 2023 while Thompson was employed at HHA.
The indictments were announced Tuesday by Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Also included in the indictment is Toriono L. Byrd, 52, from Savannah, who at the time of the alleged fraud was the registered agent for Southeast Coastal Property Maintenance, LLC, which dissolved in 2025.
Byrd was contacted by Thompson for work while he was not licensed as a residential or commercial general contractor, the filing said. And, it said, Thompson and Byrd did not disclose their romantic or business relationship to the housing authority.
According to the indictment, Thompson awarded contracts to Byrd and SECPMS without following the standard bidding process.
The indictment states that, from Sept. 1, 2020, to Jan 19, 2022, Thompson created 108 false invoices from Byrd or SECPMS, then paid him for work that was never completed or in amounts far exceeding the cost of the work done.
The indictment said that between Sept. 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022, Thompson sent just under $2,850,000 of HHA funds by way of checks to accounts run by Byrd and/or SECPMS, usually in amounts of $5,000 or less. On one day, she wrote 50 checks totaling $194,459.30, it said.
Byrd would then deposit “kickbacks” into Thompson’s accounts, amounting to $115,295, the indictment alleges.
The indictment also alleges Thompson purchased two freight trucks for a total of $29,982 for Strategic Logistic Transportation Services, LLC, a general freight trucking company registered to her in 2019.
Those two Freightliner Cascadia 125 semi-trucks were later registered to Byrd. SLTS is still active, according to Georgia state Corporations Division.
In early 2021, either Byrd or Thompson allegedly used Thompson’s credit card to register SECPMS in Byrd’s name.
Thompson also allegedly paid herself an additional monthly “stipend,” coded under Liberty County Community Housing Development Organization, a volunteer board that her involvement in did not warrant extra pay.
These “stipend” payments, among other false bonuses, amounted to $67,842.31 from July 30, 2021 to Oct. 20, 2023, the indictment said.
Thompson also applied for Small Business Administration loans during the Covid-19 pandemic for SLTS, the company for which Byrd was supposed to be contracting and for which Thompson purchased the license using HHA funds, investigations found.
These Economic Injury Detection Loans (EIDL) came through the federal CARE Act or Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Security Act, meant to assist entrepreneurs and small businesses through the pandemic. Thompson and SLTS are alleged to have made $38,000 through these loans.
If convicted both Byrd and Thompson could face up to 20 years in prison and forfeiture of property coming from funds traceable to the charges.
If convicted, Thompson could be forced to forfeit $236,677.96 and both freight trucks purchased for SLTS. Byrd may also have to forfeit $3,039,516.76, property in Savannah registered to him and one other person, as well as jewelry bought with illicit funds.
The indictment states that no one else at the Hinesville Housing Authority knew of Thompson’s and Byrd’s alleged acts of fraud.
But, as part of the indictment, Thompson is accused of having sent copies of alleged false invoices to “herself and others.”
At the time of publication, calls to the Hinesville Housing Authority, Hinesville City Attorney Linnie Darden, and Hinesville City Manager Ryan Arnold had not been returned.
