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Open , Honest County Government |
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PUBLIC SPIRITED CITIZENS of SEVIER COUNTY |
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Fraud, Waste & Abuse (F.W.A.) |
We recently received a letter regarding F.A.W. Apparently we’re not alone…. |
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State of Tennessee Justin Wilson, State Comptroller For Immediate Release: Feb. 2, 2010 FORMER LAKEWOOD CLERK ARRESTED ON THEFT CHARGES Former Lakewood City Clerk Patricia Anderson has been arrested on theft charges following: cooperative work between the state Comptroller’s Division of Municipal Audit and the local district attorney’s office. Patricia Anderson was arrested last week on indictments for Theft of Property over $10,000 and Forgery over $10,000 while employed at the City of Lakewood. “We are pleased with the cooperative efforts between our office and the office of the Comptroller of the Treasury,” Assistant District Attorney General Jim Milam said. “Because of this partnership, we are able to pursue and prosecute cases of theft by public officials.”“I commend the District Attorney General’s office for the fine work it has done on this case, in cooperation with our staff in the Division of Municipal Audit,” Comptroller Justin Wilson said. “It is never acceptable for public officials to steal money that rightly belongs to the taxpayers. But particularly now, with economic times being so tough, it is especially important to combat the waste, fraud and misuse of public funds.” “I am glad to see that Ms. Anderson will be brought to justice in this matter and I commend General Milam for his willingness to take up the prosecution,” says Dennis Dycus, Director of the Division of Municipal Audit. “A good way to deter public officials and employees from committing thefts and other crimes while in office is to punish them appropriately and show that no public employee is above the law.” State auditors released an investigative report in late 2009, detailing how Anderson took more than $11,400 the city had collected from traffic fines and court costs and concealed the missing money by falsifying city business records. The report alleges that Anderson failed to issue receipts for 22 payments amounting to $3,953 and falsified deposit slips to conceal the theft. On 66 other occasions, Anderson forged the city’s copies of receipts to show smaller amounts of money than she had actually collected. According to the report, the 66 altered “short” receipts represented at least an additional $7,126 of collections that Anderson failed to deposit into the city’s bank accounts. Auditors also determined that Anderson posted false entries in the city court docket and altered court copies of traffic citations, causing them to appear to have been issued for offenses carrying smaller fines than those cited by the arresting officer. The Comptroller’s report can be found at: http://www.comptroller1.state.tn.us/repository/MA/lakewood3.pdf Media contact: Blake Fontenay, Communications Director , (615) 253-2668 or blake.fontenay@tn.gov |
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Administrator - To indicate the value of the Fraud Unit of the Office of the Comptroller - working on reported claims of fraud, waste & abuse in local government - see the attached report filed recently by that office. These results in similar situation indicate it is worth citizens' time and effort in reporting information where it is thought fraud, waste & abuse are involved. You are encouraged to continue posting the information shown on your home page. Please share this information with your subscribers.– A Reader |
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This contributor in her Letter to the Editor, in speaking their disdain for the negative - one sided reporting of Derek Hodges - speaks somewhat to the sentiment of public spirited citizens in their efforts to make change as they take the same position as has Randall Robinson in his position with the City of Pigeon Forge. Your writings are comparable to pouring water on a duck's back. We shall carry on! Obviously, unless you are in lock step with 'those local public officials' whose “bum” him (the press) covers for consistently you are cast among those undesirables who bring 'frivolous' issues to the forefront. By so doing, this reporter covers consistently and uses his position (along with those to whom it reports, condoning such), are questionable as to fair reporting. Lest you have given it any thought, whether through design or incompetency, citizens are not staggered by such. Remember that such folks as Randall Robinson and Public Spirited Citizens will hold faithful and consistently regardless of your reporting. If you can maintain such positions in good conscience, then have at it! |
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Biased Reporting ??????? |
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8-26-113. Automobiles for salaried county officers. —
Counties having a population of one hundred thousand (100,000) or more according to the last federal census and counties having a population of not less than thirty thousand four hundred (30,400) nor more than thirty thousand five hundred (30,500) according to the 1970 federal census or any subsequent federal census may provide cars for the use of the salaried county officials set out in § 8-26-112. However, in any county having a population of not less than two hundred seventy-six thousand (276,000) nor more than two hundred seventy-seven thousand (277,000) or any county having a population of not less than thirty thousand four hundred (30,400) nor more than thirty thousand five hundred (30,500) according to the 1970 federal census or any subsequent federal census, any county officer who is authorized by such county legislative body or by a court providing salaries in salary suits of county officers may receive a monthly car allowance in lieu of furnishing such officer a county-owned car. [Acts 1957, ch. 279, §§ 2, 2A; 1979, ch. 346, §§ 1, 4; T.C.A., § 8-2516; Acts 1986, ch. 648, § 1.] (a) In counties having a population of one hundred thousand (100,000) or more according to the last federal census, any salaried county official who is paid from county funds and who holds office by election of the people, by election of the county legislative body, or by election of any other county board or commission, and any clerk or master appointed by a chancellor, shall be reimbursed from county funds for the actual expense which such county official, clerk or master may incur as an incident to holding such office. Such expenses include, but are not limited to, lodging while away from such person's official residence, and traveling expenses both within and without the county of such person's official residence. However, the county legislative body may by resolution determine what expenses will be reimbursable, and the county executive will prescribe forms on which such expenses will be reported, and will examine such expense reports when submitted to determine if the expense is reimbursable, and if so forward the expense report to the proper disbursing officer for payment. (b) In all other counties of the state, the county legislative body may by resolution elect to pay the expenses of elected county officials, and may promulgate rules of procedure as to how expenses will be reimbursed and determine what expenses are reimbursable. In such county so resolving, it will be the duty of the county executive to prescribe forms on which expenses will be reported, and it is further made the county executive's duty to examine such expense report to determine if all expenses so listed as reimbursable are legally reimbursable expenditures within the schedule as determined and announced by the county legislative body and, if such listed expenses are reimbursable, then to forward the expense report to the proper disbursing officer for payment. (c) No expenses will be paid under this section which are now authorized and paid under any other law.' [Acts 1957, ch. 279, §§ 1, 2A; 1961, ch. 238, §§ 1, 2; 1972, ch. 527, § 1; impl. am. Acts 1978, ch. 934, §§ 7, 16, 36; T.C.A., § 8-2515.] |
