June 17, 2010
-
News: Probation Agency; Credit Card Fraud Victim
The Los Angeles County Probation Department has plenty to deal with over the next months as they struggle to explain what happened to over $79 million. As if that isn't enough, the new head of the department, Probation Chief Donald H. Blevins was recently notified that an audit revealed that county employees had been using the department's credit cards to make unauthorized purchases. The audit which was made public by Steve Lopez of the Times, covered the agency's financial activities from late 2007 to 2009 under the administration of his predecessor, Robert Taylor, who retired earlier this year. When asked about the preliminary findings of the audit in regard to the alleged abusive credit card use, Blevins said they activities could warrant criminal charges. Blevins noted that allegations of credit card fraud have been referred to the District Attorney's office.
A preliminary review of the audit found that Probation employees obtained store branded credit cards under the departments named and then used them to purchase merchandise for personal use. Many of the items were election related merchandise that was completely unrelated to the agency's work such as Sony Play Stations and video games. All of the credit card accounts have now been closed which included Best Buy and Sears. The staff also failed to get the proper approval for purchases and failed to provide adequate documentation of all the purchases. Proper paperwork procedures were not completed in nearly 75 percent of the purchases now was payment made on time.
The report also indicated that the staff kept very poor records on inventory control. In addition to the abusive credit card use, the staff claimed $210 a month per youth at some of the county's 18 juvenile probation camps. The number is more than double the average cost at other camps. No mention was made if authorities suspected the number was expanded to cover up some other fraud activity. Nevertheless, an internal affairs investigation will be taking a closer look at the allegations and provide a report in a month. Meanwhile, Blevins has centralized procurement and all purchases must now be approved in advance by a designated staff member. For added protection, he also put into place additional safeguards for inventory control.