A report found that transportation employees of Maryland’s largest school system misused purchase cards, including buying personal items and merchandise that violated policy.
In May 2022, the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General started an investigation to find out whether there was evidence that Montgomery County Public Schools Department of Transportation employees misused their P-cards. The IG also wanted to evaluate whether employees complied with P-card policies and procedures, as well as recommend what can be done to mitigate vulnerabilities.
The investigation was conducted after consulting with Montgomery County police, who were also probing an alleged misconduct by the school system’s former Department of Transportation director Todd Watkins and former assistant director Charles Ewald over their use of purchase cards.
The two were placed on leave in November 2021, after Montgomery County schools notified police about “possible financial improprieties” in its transportation department; and last June, Bethesda Beat reported that they were no longer employed by the district. Ewald’s employment was terminated in February, and Watkins resigned in March.
The inspector general’s audit found that cards issued to Ewald were used to make approximately $133,000 worth of purchases that were prohibited by policy, and more than $1,600 were deemed “personal” by the inspector general’s office.
The IG report also cited the findings of another audit conducted by the...
‘Completely false’: NV Sec. of State debunks Trump's claims of illegal voting BBC CNN DW CGTN NBC ABC ALJazeera France24 JoyNews CitiTV Net2TV TV3 UTV DelayTV KofiTV MagrahebTV MGTV OTHERS | Movi...