Former Cache County victims services director charged with fraud over claimed PhD

Terryl Lee Warner, 63, the former director of victims services for Cache County, has been charged with one count of communications fraud, a second-degree felony, for allegedly faking part of her education to keep a pay increase, ABC4 reported. ^[1]

Court documents said Warner began working for the county in 1996, became victims services director in 2019 and later also served as interim director of the Children's Justice Center, which came with a 30% pay increase. Documents said she reportedly told colleagues she was working toward a doctorate in psychology at Liberty University and, in November 2022, sent a screenshot of an email saying she had completed it. ^[1]

In August 2024, personnel officials asked her to verify the degree, and she sent documents for a doctorate from Breyer State Theology University, which is not an accredited institution. County officials said they would not have kept her pay at the same level, and would have sought her termination, had they known. She reportedly received $14,156.50 more than she would have otherwise. ^[1]

Warner resigned in December 2024 and filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in 2025 claiming her boss pressured her to campaign for him. She has been formally charged but not arrested. Charges are allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. ^[1]