Hawthorne City Treasurer Steps Down Temporarily Following Indictment

Hawthorne City Treasurer Takes Leave Amid Federal Indictment

Hawthorne City Treasurer Marie Poindexter-Hornback has been placed on a leave of absence following her inclusion in a federal grand jury indictment related to her previous employment at Fidelity. The city confirmed this development on Thursday to NBC4.

The indictment, filed in September, accuses Poindexter-Hornback, a former accounts payable accountant at Fidelity, of embezzling significant sums from the company. She allegedly approved fraudulent payments and used company funds for personal expenses.

In a statement to NBC4, the City of Hawthorne acknowledged the charges and outlined its response: “The City is aware of recently announced federal criminal charges against elected City Treasurer Marie Poindexter. While the Treasurer reports only to City voters, the City has agreed with the Treasurer that she will take a leave of absence from her duties until such proceedings have concluded. The City’s Director of Finance will perform the Treasurer’s duties during her absence. Beyond this, the City will have no further comment out of respect for the court process.”

The allegations detail improper payments and purchases conducted between June 2023 and July 2024. Fidelity claims that Poindexter-Hornback misused the company’s Amazon account for personal purchases unrelated to her work. Furthermore, she is accused of fraudulently altering checks issued to vendors by changing the payees to two individuals, referred to as "R.J." and "D.M.," who were not affiliated with Fidelity.

The financial repercussions of Poindexter-Hornback’s actions are significant, with company losses estimated to exceed $200,000, as indicated in the indictment.

Elected as Hawthorne treasurer in 2022, Poindexter-Hornback made history as the first Black woman to hold the position.