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WILMINGTON A former New Hanover County ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) administrator is getting almost $195,000 in annual retirement benefits, despite his conviction on charges of taking property by false pretense.
The StarNews of Wilmington reported that the state treasurer’s office says Billy Williams is receiving a retirement benefit of $16,238 a month. Williams had gotten attention for his $232,000 annual salary as administrator.
Williams was convicted in August 2011. Prosecutors said Williams submitted a fake invoice of more than $43,000 to the ABC board, claiming the money was for paving work at one of the agency’s stores.
They say Williams had an illegal deal with the contractor to build a two-story garage at Williams’ home.
A new state law that took effect this month prohibits public employees from receiving any retirement benefits for service rendered after Dec. 1 – except for the member’s contributions and interest – if the member is convicted of a felony and the offense is directly related to the member’s employment.
While Billy Williams’ conviction would appear to have been related to his employment, his offense occurred long before the law was enacted, so his situation doesn’t fall under the law.
Williams’ son is also getting $4,564 a month. Bradley Williams was never charged with a crime.
He worked for his father for about 15 years and had advanced to assistant administrator. Bradley Williams retired in June 2011 after an extended period of sick leave. He was 36 when he retired.
Neither father nor son could be reached for comment Saturday,
Julia Vail, a spokeswoman for the state treasurer’s office, said Bradley Williams “has received the same treatment from the Department of State Treasurer that every similarly situated (Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System) member receives.”
