Auditors Report More Than $100,000 in Findings for EBR Metro Council

Auditors reported findings related to thefts and damages totaling more than $100,000 in a report on the East Baton Rouge Parish Metropolitan Council released Monday by Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera.

Most of the dollar amount noted by auditors Postlethwaite & Netterville was for property damage caused by Public Works employees during the delivery of three loads of limestone stolen from a Department of Public Works (DPW) lot in December 2014. More than $100,000 in damages occurred to various properties during the delivery of the stolen limestone. The report released by the state auditor said the limestone was valued at $1,200 per load.

Five people were arrested for the thefts, but only two are currently being prosecuted for charges including felony theft, criminal damage to property, and unauthorized use of a moveable.

Auditors also reported that a former supervisor with a contracted janitorial service firm stole approximately $3,000 in checks from a drop box in the City Constable’s office between October and December of 2014. The former supervisor was arrested, and the city-parish is seeking restitution from the firm.

A third misappropriation was reported in the Revenue Division of the city-parish’s Finance Department. In this case, sales tax payments totaling $906 were missing. However, there was insufficient evidence to make an arrest, and the case was suspended.

Internal controls allowed the city-parish to detect the missing Finance Department funds in a timely manner. This was not the case for the DPW and Constable’s office thefts.

City-parish officials said in response to the findings that dump truck keys are now kept in a secure location with limited access, while access to limestone will also be limited. Additionally, a log is now kept of checks received by the City Court, and checks not picked up by the Constable that day are kept in a safe. Lastly, cameras have been installed and a daily register close-out process has been implemented as a result of the Finance Department thefts.