Cherokee County, TX:
Cherokee County is incapable of properly prosecuting their own government employees who blatantly steal from the county coffers. Cherokee County Tax Assessor bookkeeper Gina Upshaw, 65, from Jacksonville, stole $431,375.91 directly from the courthouse. The theft occurred between Oct. 2016 through Dec. 2021. She was arrested and indicted in 2023 after an outside audit confirmed the missing funds. After years of failed jury selections and trial postponements, the DOJ finally stepped in and took over her case. Upshaw had also worked in the County Clerk's office in the past and had been responsible for county elections. During the height of her embezzlement, she received her 15-year Cherokee County service award. Gina Upshaw's state criminal case has stalled out on the Cherokee County dockets, while prosecutors and district judges kicked the can down the road. Early this year, the DOJ quietly moved in and took over her prosecution under the new federal NFED program. Cherokee County couldn't pick an impartial judge and jury to hold her accountable under state law. As the clock ticked down under her attorneys' advice, Upshaw saved up enough in restitution to accept a plea deal. Governor Greg Abbott has made several trips to Cherokee County to shine the best light possible on the corrupt enclave and make sure he is still in their good graces.
On August 11, 2026, Gina Upshaw pleaded guilty to embezzlement before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love in the Eastern District of Texas, agreeing to a 2-year prison sentence and to pay back about $431,000 without interest. Cherokee County property taxes have skyrocketed as a result, with surging property appraisals levied on non-commercial land owners.
