December 27, 2011 Two former officials of East Tennessee utility district are facing theft charges www.privateofficer.com
CLINTON, Tenn. Dec 27 2011 – Two former officials at an East Tennessee utility district are facing theft charges, according to separate indictments.
Del Ray Roberts, who is the former general manager of the
Powell-Clinch Utility District, was indicted on charges of theft
and fraudulent use of a district credit card, according to The
Knoxville News Sentinel, which cited court records made public last
Earlier this month, former interim president and district
general manager Richard McIntosh was indicted on a theft charge
with authorities saying he took more than $1,000 in services from
the district.
The district’s current chief, Rob Neil, says Roberts was let go
nearly two years ago after board members became aware of the
allegations. In May 2010, McIntosh was appointed as interim head.
In February, the district appointed Neil to the role at the utility
that sells propane and natural gas.
The indictment against Roberts accuses him of stealing more than
$60,000 from January 2007 through May 2010. It also alleges that he
made unauthorized purchases with the district’s credit card.
“The district has fully recovered all funds allegedly
misappropriated and its ratepayers have suffered no financial loss
as a result of this unfortunate incident,” Neil said.
A state investigative audit alleged that Roberts used more than
$95,000 in public funds at the utility for personal use, including
a trip to Disney World, a cruise and to pay an oral surgeon.
“Internal controls were in place to detect and prevent the
alleged misappropriation from occurring,” Neil said in a
statement. “The most troubling aspect surrounding the failure of
those controls is that individuals inside and outside the district,
with fiduciary obligations to the district and its board,
apparently were aware of the misappropriations and failed to report
them to the district’s board so that action could be taken
sooner.”
Charges against McIntosh weren’t detailed in the indictment, but
the district investigated allegations against him in November 2010
and found no improprieties.
“Services provided to Mr. McIntosh were found to be the same as
provided to other customers,” a district news release said, but
added that the allegations will be investigated again.
In the meantime, Neil said McIntosh retains his position as vice
president of operations, which means he oversees the district’s
“entire operations and distribution of gas.”
Source:knoxnews.com
Tags: Del Ray Roberts, Richard McIntosh
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