7 Arrests Made in Pritchard Water Board Multimillion Dollar Fraud
MOBILE, Ala.
By Dale Hines/Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media
April 4, 2025
A far-reaching three-year investigation into the Pritchard Water Board has resulted in felony indictments against seven people.
The investigation and raids of the water board’s office and several employees’ homes involved every level of law enforcement from local police to federal agents as they looked at an array of criminal violations against employees of the water board.
The indictment alleges that from as early as 2018 Nia Bradley, former operations manager, and 6 others defrauded the Prichard Water board of over $2.4 million.
Randy Burden, who is charged in Alabama state court with theft along with Bradley, her husband Anthony, and Teresa Lewis, is also charged federally along with:
Steve Jones, 61, of Mobile
Larry Knight, 35 of Mobile
Dejuan Lamar, 47 of Mobile
Ayanna Payton, 47 of Eight Mile
Stephanie Hunn, 49 of Mobile
According to Costello, Knight and Lamar were arrested Thursday morning, while Bradley, Burden, and Jones turned themselves in to federal law enforcement authorities.
Ayanna Payton and Stephanie Hunn have already pleaded guilty to charges and are awaiting sentencing. Ayanna Payton served as a board member and was hit with a minor Ethics Violation in 2019. The Alabama Attorney General’s office referred the case back to the Prichard Water Board to be handled administratively.
According to U.S. Attorney Sean Costello, the scheme involved a false and fraudulent contractor scheme, that involved several outside contractors, employees, and board members of the Prichard Water Board.
The federal government said that they will also be seeking monetary judgments in the amounts of $2,459,279.39, $960,851.41, and $302,134.90. The indictment alleges that Nia Bradley and Randy Burden laundered $960,000 through a business owned and operated by them.
The 32-count indictment includes:
- Conspiracy to commit mail, bank, and wire fraud
- Conspiracy
- Money Laundering Conspiracy
- Wire Fraud
- Bank Fraud
- False Tax Filing
- Aiding and assisting in false tax filing
Ayanna Payton pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud, conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud and making false statements in tax documents. Payton entered that plea in November 2023 and was found guilty on November 11, 2023. She has a sentencing date currently set for April 28, 2025.
Stephanie Hunn pleaded guilty to the same charges in February 2023, and she also has a court date currently listed as April 28.
If convicted on all charges, they face up to 30 years in prison.
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