Calif. Audit Reveals Theft of Public Funds

A report by California Auditor Elaine Howle released Tuesday reveals that state employees have misused or stolen $613,000 in taxpayer funds over the past two years in various schemes that involved several departments.

 

The Howle report revealed nine different instances of corruption ranging from bribery schemes, improper billing for overtime and travel, mail fraud, as well as other cases of public waste, the Los Angeles Times reported.

 

The biggest case involved two workers at the Los Angeles offices of the state Franchise Tax Board and the Secretary of State, where they carried on an elaborate bribery and kickback scheme that resulted in the theft of nearly $250,000 in public funds over two years.

 

The other high profile cases detailed in the report involved employees in the state Athletic Commission, California Correctional Health Care Services, California Department of Education, Employment Development Department, Fish and Game Department, and University of California system, the newspaper reported.