CITIZEN STAFF REPORT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Ex-CEO of Williamson Memorial Hospital and former Williamson mayor Charles Hatfield was sentenced Thursday to five years of federal probation after he admitted he stole hospital funds.

Hatfield, 62, was also ordered to pay restitution of $34,872 along with a $20,000 fine.

He pleaded guilty in May 2024 in U.S. District Court.

Hatfield served as interim CEO beginning in September 2018 and later as permanent CEO. He acknowledged misappropriating hospital funds for personal use without authorization. Court records reveal he directed $34,872.62 of hospital money toward personal expenses during his tenure, which ended in September 2019.

According to prosecutors, Hatfield used $9,197.62 of hospital funds in May 2019 to purchase a cashier’s check to resolve a lawsuit involving delinquent real estate taxes and homeowners’ fees for his condominium in Florida.

In another instance, just days before his dismissal as CEO and the hospital’s bankruptcy filing in October 2019, Hatfield transferred $25,675 of hospital funds to Mid Mountain Properties, a real estate company he owned. He later admitted to using the money to settle personal obligations despite the hospital’s inability to cover employee retirement and healthcare benefits at the time.

Hatfield also conceded that he neither sought nor received authorization from the hospital’s board of directors or any other entity for these transactions.

In addition to his role at the hospital, Hatfield served as mayor of Williamson from 2017 until his resignation in May 2024, prompted by his criminal conduct.

Williamson Memorial Hospital closed in April 2020 but has since reopened under new ownership and new leadership.