Rachel Beech has been doing some knock-out reporting at WDAM on the latest scandal plaguing the Johnny Dupree administration in Hattiesburg: the misuse of government fuel cards. Seems these were treated as gift cards for the favored as her reporting reveals:
Four out of five Hattiesburg City Council members wrote a letter to the state auditor's office on Thursday expressing concern about the fraudulent use of city-owned gasoline cards. At the December 17 city council meeting, the council was asked to approve two items on the claims docket that involve fraudulent use of city gas cards.
The bills in question are from Pine Belt Oil, which showed fuel charges of $313 on a card issued to one city pickup truck, and a charge for almost $10,000 to a card issued to a city-owned Dodge Caravan.
Discussion during Tuesday's council meeting showed that both vehicles are not functioning. Discussion also showed that the cards have been fraudulently used since at least July 2013, but it is very possible the cards had been used since January 2013, and that city personnel who knew of the fraudulent charges did not cancel the cards, nor did they notify the council. Rather, the charges were placed on claims dockets routinely for council approval.
A letter from the city council to the state auditor's office was requested, with the exception of councilwoman Deborah Delgado. In the letter, council members requested the state auditor for guidance and to investigate the matter. The city council members closed the letter to the state auditor in saying their intent is to institute an accountability that has been missing. Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree said in an eariler interview that they are making outstanding progress in the investigation. He gave no further specifications.
An investigation is now underway regarding city owned gas cards that have come under question. The first reports of fraudulent charges were in June, and the amounts were small. Police as well as water and sewer director Matt Boutwell were notified.
Two gas cards were apparently canceled after that incident. According to council members, they were never informed. Three months later, more charges have been uncovered. City Councilman Carter Carroll addressed a bill of almost $10,000 over a one months time span has not been paid, and is now under investigation
"It could add up to a substantial amount of money that the citizens of Hattiesburg are being duped out of," Carroll said.
Carroll said the fraud has been ongoing for more than six months, and Mayor Johnny DuPree informed the council of the charges only two nights ago.
Carroll said someone could have taken a gas card out of a parked, disabled city vehicle and spread the wealth throughout the city. According to Carroll, the process of stealing the card and fueling up is simple, being that the pin number is written on the back of the credit cards. ....
You know, this has been going on for six months or so," said Ward 3 councilman Carter Carroll.
"People in the administration have known about this and the council has been given claims dockets."
Fraudulent claims dockets that the council was told to approve over a six-month time span.
"They knew that these charges were fraudulent and yet we come up and the council approves these claims," Carroll said.
Carter Carroll said Mayor DuPree waited six months to tell the city council about the fraudulent transactions. He also added that five transactions from the same card were made in a ten minute time span at one point.
"Somebody put the five of us (council members) in jeopardy," Carroll said.
"And I'm upset. I don't like being played like this."
Carroll became more frustrated.
"The abuse is horrendous.".... More details
6 comments:
As long as Dupree has constituents willing to sing We Shall Overcome on the courthouse steps nothing will happen to him. He has a higher makeup of Teflon than your average politician.
So Dupree knew about it for 6 months, or so. Wouldn't that include the time of, say, the last mayoral election in Hattiesburg?
That reporter is doing a tremendous job on this story. Hope she sticks with it to get to the bottom of it.
If outsiders did get their hands on city employee gas cards, the process would be simple.
"We have cards and the pin number is written on the back of the card so anyone can use it," Carroll added.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20131220/NEWS01/131220010/Hattiesburg-man-arrested-illegal-use-city-gas-card-
Most of the cards are limited to the city fueling facility on James Street, but certain vehicles (police and fire vehicles in West Hattiesburg and the mayor’s car) are cleared to use other Pine Belt Oil-owned locations.
However, DuPree said an unknown city employee called Pine Belt Oil and requested clearance for vehicles from the Department of Water and Sewer to use locations other than the James Street Fueling Facility.
The lone H'Burg council member that did not sign the letter to Pickering's office was council member Deborah Delgado. She's not Italian! I suspect she feared for her personal safety, not unlike the juror in the H' Burg Mayoral election trial that changed her vote when polled by Judge Coleman to reveal before the court how she cast her vote in the jury room.
Delgado didn't sign the letter to Pickering's office,but councilman Henry Naylor did. Like Delgado, Naylor is black.
Delgado appears to be in deep with the mayor. Someone authorized her continued water service without her paying the bill and without a disconnect, a bill for over $900 that was finally paid only when the state auditor announced that an audit would take place that included her address.
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