KBI investigating theft case in Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas: search warrant
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has opened a theft case within the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, a copy of the search warrant obtained by The Star shows.
On Wednesday, the KBI served a search warrant on the UG in connection with allegations made against “certain personnel” within the local government, the agency said in a statement Wednesday.
The warrant was signed Wednesday morning and targeted areas of City Hall used by the finance and IT departments.
The warrant asked for records from Jan. 1, 2021, to the present including bank statements, documents related to purchasing card accounts, expense vouchers, and emails from the UG’s chief financial officer and the accounting fiscal officer.
It also asked for the UG’s policies on government purchasing cards.
No one appears to have been charged with a crime as of Sunday afternoon, according to court records. A UG spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an email and phone call seeking comment.
The KBI said the warrant was served Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation initiated after the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office “received information, reviewed it, and determined an investigation was warranted.”
The news release said the KBI started its investigation June 23.
Unified Government spokeswoman Krystal McFeders said in an email Wednesday that the mayor’s and county administrator’s offices were fully cooperating with investigators. She said the UG was otherwise unable to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Consulting firm Robert Bobb Group, which was hired by the UG on April 7 to conduct an assessment of the government’s financial department, said there was “significant use” of purchasing cards. A presentation at a full commission meeting July 28 by the firm said that $4.4 million had been spent in 2022 with 363 active purchasing cards.
The presentation revealed that the UG’s purchasing card policies and procedures are often not followed and have not been updated since 2007.
The assessment, however, did not reveal or allege any illegal activities. It recommended an in-depth, external audit of purchasing card usage. It said that card holders and individuals who approve unauthorized purchases should be held accountable.
“The use of the p-cards is not unusual in government,” said Robert Bobb, one of the three individuals who conducted the assessment. “Your policy, it doesn’t mean that employees are out to do something wrong. But it does mean that if there is abuse of those cards, and it’s proven, then the employee should be terminated.”
This story was originally published August 7, 2022 at 5:57 PM.
