
“We see our fair share of fraud, but it’s especially disappointing to see tens of thousands of dollars apparently being taken from kids by an employee for personal use,” stated State Auditor Tim Keller. “We appreciate the cooperation of the district and law enforcement in working with us to get to the bottom of these serious allegations.”
The OSA will be forwarding the report with potential criminal violations, including fraud, larceny, embezzlement, forgery, and making or permitting a false public voucher to law enforcement and the District Attorney. The Deming Police and the Sixth Judicial District Attorney’s Office were also previously made aware of potential violations when concerns were first raised.
Doctor Arsenio Romero, Deming Public School Superintendent released the following statement:
“This special audit has been very informative for the district and provided us with the opportunity to make the changes necessary to move forward and ensure public money is safeguarded appropriately. The audit resulted in 19 findings and identified nearly $145,000 in funds that were likely stolen from the school district. The employee that is named in the audit no longer works for the school district.
The information that was provided from the special audit will have an impact on our District, as we refine our procedures and continue to make improvements in our operations. The Deming Public School District has been open and transparent with the State Auditor’s Office and will now be working with local law enforcement as they take over the investigation.
A number of internal controls and procedural changes have already been established to address the audit findings.”
Deming Police officials said today they had not received the report, but will follow up as necessary.
The full report is available here:
https://www.saonm.org/media/audits/7021__Deming_Public_Schools__Forensic_Consulting_Report_-_November_2017.pdf