Prosecutor: Public Embezzlement is "more prevalent than we would like to believe"

by Gary Snyder

Embezzlement from public institutions and offices is distressingly common.

In just a smalll part of Colorado, thieves keep finding new ways to skim money from the public coffers.

Let’s take a look at a few examples:

·                               Gunnison County School District $400,000

·                               Paonia $400,000

·                               Marble $300,00

·                               Garfield County $200,000

·                               Garfield District Court Clerk’s Office $19,422

·        

Garfield County Treasurer Georgia Chamberlain says, “It’s really hard to regulate against fraud.” She who works closely with the county’s other elected officials and department heads. “The scary part is there always seem to be ways around anything you set up to prevent it, especially when there is a lot of money that passes through.”

Chamberlain said she employs several safeguards to protect money through her office. “We have a fiscal manual that outlines all of the procedures that we must follow,” James Bradford, clerk of the combined district and county courts in Garfield County said. “Every few years, we have our audit people come in and audit every aspect of what we do. Every kind of payment we send out, bank deposits, any transactions, are all closely scrutinized.”

Ninth District Attorney Sherry Caloia complained that embezzlers, both public and private, often get off with no prison time. And restitution payments after sentencing can be reduced to a minimum amount of as little as $15 to $25 per month, meaning the likelihood of full recovery of the money is remote, she said.

“It’s very upsetting, because unless these cases are treated very harshly the deterrent effect is not there,” she said.

Public embezzlement is “more prevalent than we would like to believe,” she said. Not only is prison time a strong message, but she said she has been working with the probation office to obtain a better financial profile on the offenders, including real estate, vehicles and retirement accounts, to determine their ability to pay restitution. (source)

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