Texas Scorecard by Jacob Asmussen October 9, 2020
Local officials ineptly allowed one of the largest fraud cases on city government record. During an affordability crisis in the city, local officials continue to disastrously mishandle citizens’ precious money—this time allowing a convicted thief to casually steal over $1.3 million.
Randall Nelson Whited, a former employee of the Austin Public Library, is facing a criminal case after the city auditor’s office investigated and alleged he used city credit cards to buy $1.3 million in printer toner—10 times more than the library needed—so he could steal the extra and resell it online.
Whited is also accused of using city credit cards—of which he had access to more than 10—to fund his apparent personal spending spree, buying at least $18,000 worth of electronics such as video games, robotic vacuums, virtual reality headsets, and even a drone.
The thefts spanned more than a decade, from 2007 to 2019, but officials believe most of it occurred within the last five years.
How was Whited able to get away with stealing over a million of citizens’ cash? According to the city auditor’s office, city officials at the library did not oversee spending and allowed Whited to approve his own purchases.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/local/city-of-austin-hires-convicted-thief-gets-robbed-of-over-1-3m/