A SPECIAL INVESTIGATION BY THE IOWA AUDITOR’S OFFICE HAS FOUND THE HEAD OF A TAXPAYER FUNDED JOB TRAINING PROGRAM EMBEZZLED MORE THAN 430-THOUAND DOLLARS OVER A SEVEN YEAR PERIOD.
STATE AUDITOR ROB SAND SAYS MOST OF THAT MONEY WENT TO PROGRAM DIRECTOR JODI SPARGUR-TATE:
Audio PlayerEMBEZZLE1 OC……….DAY CARE BEING PROVIDED.” :14
IOWA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OFFICIALS SENT FEDERAL FUNDING TO THE PROGRAM SPARGUR-TATE MANAGED.
SAND SAYS IN FIVE OF THE LAST SIX YEARS THE IOWA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AUDIT HIS OFFICE RELEASED WARNED THE STATE AGENCY MORE OVERSIGHT WAS NECESSARY TO ENSURE THE FEDERAL GRANTS IT DISTRIBUTES WERE BEING USED APPROPRIATELY.
Audio PlayerEMBEZZLE2 OC…….IS GETTING SPENT.” :05
SAND CREDITS THE AGENCY FOR MAKING SOME PROGRESS OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS, AS HE SAYS IOWA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WAS ROCKED BY THE PANDEMIC AND SKYROCKETING CLAIMS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.
Audio PlayerEMBEZZLE3 OC……PROVIDING ENOUGH OVERSIGHT.” :05
SAND SAYS THE EMBEZZLEMENT WAS DISCOVERED BY A PERSON WHO TOOK OVER THE DIRECTOR’S DUTIES WHILE SPARGUR-TATE WAS ON VACATION — AND SAW AN INVOICE FOR AUTO BODY WORK ON A CLIENT’S VEHICLE.
THAT CLIENT DID NOT HAVE A VEHICLE.
THE DISPLACED WORKERS PROGRAM SPARGUR-TATE RAN WAS FINANCED WITH A FEDERAL GRANT THE IOWA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY AWARDED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES OF IOWA.
IOWA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPOKESMAN JESSE DOUGHERTY SAYS THE AGENCY IS CONFIDENT THAT ITS WORK TO ENHANCE OVERSIGHT WILL MAKE IT HARDER FOR SUCH BEHAVIOR TO SUCCEED IN THE FUTURE.
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