Posted by Informed voter on March 17, 2017, 3:50 pm, in reply to "Re: Embezzlement"
Randall Viessman took office in May of 2013 (I believe), promptly fired two office employees, Carol Cooper and Linda McKechan, who later sued and won a wrongful termination suit against the township and Randall Viessman (both the township and Viessman were defendants). The settlement was undisclosed, but you know the expense for the township was great, in lawyer fees alone.
He hired his step daughter Tammy Davis and Laura Marchetti, his friend whom he worked with in previous years in the Nameoki Highway Department to replace Cooper and McKechan. Marchetti was in charge of the General Assistance Fund LONG before the date on this questionable check. And LONG before the insurance resolution was passed in 2015.
Your question, "Does anyone really believe that was the only time money was withdrawn from the account for sketchy purposes?" is an excellent question.
I think the bank would still hold all copies of checks from this account and those made out to "cash" should be investigated thoroughly. As Opi2 said, under no circumstances should a check be made out to cash from a government agency for any reason.
I highly question that this is a single incident, but until a line by line forensic audit is demanded by the taxpayers or a law enforcement agency, we will never know for sure.
Regardless, the sitting trustees were responsible for auditing every single transaction from that account. They were not required to approve expenditures from this account, but were responsible for auditing it. By eliminating a required approval for expenditures opens a gigantic door for misuse of funds. And neglecting to perform an audit by the trustees makes them equally accountable and responsible for questionable, if not illegal, activity involving the General Assistance bank account. They are the eyes and ears of the taxpayers who put them into office.
How many times did a transaction of this nature (shown in the copy of the check) happen until the resolution was passed changing the requirements for medical coverage. Are there other questionable expenditures? Is there documentation on file to validate each and every expenditures?
The taxpayers of Nameoki Township have the right to know.
on March 17, 2017, 3:50 pm, in reply to "