OLYMPIA, Wash.-Several Yakima area irrigation and drainage districts hired the same bookkeeper who allegedly misappropriated public funds, according to the State Auditor’s Office.
Yakima County drainage districts 7, 11, 12, 16 and 28 and the Union Gap and Wenas irrigation districts were affected by the possible misappropriations.
The Washington State Auditor’s Office published a report on the alleged fraud on March 11, which identified $9,151 in misappropriations and $17,706 in questionable disbursements between June 2019 and June 2023.
The fraud investigation report will be referred to the Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review and the filing of any possible criminal charges, according to a press release from the Auditor’s Office.
“Any loss of public funds is a serious matter, but the smallest governments can ill afford the expense of a loss and the resulting investigation,” said State Auditor Pat McCarthy. “The total spending questioned in our report is greater than the annual revenue of four of the irrigation districts involved.”
According to the Auditor’s report, the bookkeeper had the authority to approve payments to herself, which led to misappropriations and questionable payments over a period of four years.
Findings from the State Auditor’s report:
Charging a district for expenses that exceeded the approved budget for her services.Processing payroll claims for the total amount of her annual contract within six months.Claiming a total of 24 hours worked in the same day, across three districts.Cashing out sick leave, which was not allowed by district policy.Billing multiple districts for the same office supplies, resulting in reimbursement higher than the actual costs of the supplies.
