Montgomery, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart announced that a Montgomery, Alabama banker was sentenced for disclosing the existence of a grand jury subpoena to one of his customers. On Wednesday, August 18, 2021, Charles Gregory Hardy, Jr., 37, was sentenced to three years’ probation and fined $10,000.00 for obstructing a criminal investigation as an officer of a financial institution.
According to court documents and statements made in open court, Hardy was an employee of Valley National Bank during the spring of 2020. In April of that year, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sent the bank a federal grand jury subpoena seeking records pertaining to the accounts of bank customer D’livro Beauchamp. Hardy learned about the subpoena and sent a text message to Beauchamp that read, “I got a subpoena for your financial records.” A few days later, Hardy went to Beauchamp’s office and, while there, sent a photo of a part of the grand jury subpoena from his personal telephone to Beauchamp.
Grand jury subpoenas are confidential documents and bank employees are, in most cases, prohibited by federal law from disclosing a subpoena’s existence to the customer whose records are being sought. By sending the subpoena to Beauchamp, Hardy informed the former physician of the existence of an otherwise confidential federal grand jury investigation.
Despite the disclosure of confidential information by Hardy, Beauchamp was eventually charged with conspiring to unlawfully distribute oxycodone on July 22, 2020. Beauchamp pleaded guilty to that charge in October of 2020. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 30, 2021 and he will be facing up to 20 years in prison.
“Safeguarding the integrity of our judicial system is critical when investigating crimes,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Stewart. “The disclosure of confidential grand jury information can derail an investigation by allowing a target to destroy evidence or threaten witnesses. My office considers this bank employee’s disclosure a serious crime and is dedicated to holding anyone unlawfully sharing confidential information accountable for their actions.”
“This investigation has shown the unfortunate reality that people in all professional positions can become involved in criminal activity,” stated DEA Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Towanda Thorne-James. “People who commit such crimes will be held accountable.”
The DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squad investigated this case, with assistance from the Shelby County, Alabama Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan S. Ross and Alice S. LaCour prosecuted the case.
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