Iowa auditor uncovers nearly $55,000 in Improper spending at Lucas County Health Department

Biong M. Biong, Des Moines Register
·2 min read
Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand holds a news conference after the Iowa House passed a bill limiting his office's powers on Thursday, April 20, 2023.
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A since-resigned office adminstrator used a credit card for the Lucas County Health Department to make tens of thousands of dollars in improper purchases over a nearly five-year period, an investigation has determined.

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand's office said in a news release that an investigation showed Samantha Schumann used the card to make almost $55,000 of improper disbursements and unsupported disbursements from April 2018 to Jan. 31, 2023.

The report of the audit said investigators couldn't reach Schumann for an interview, and she also could not be reached for comment for this article. The news release said that due to a lack of records, Sand's office could not confirm the nature of some of the disbursements.

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Of the almost $55,000, $52,589 were improperly disbursed funds and $2,143 were unsupported disbursements, the news release said. Purchases were made from a Hy-Vee in Chariton and Office Depot, the report said, and included gift cards, food, paper and personal hygiene products and a personal computer. Though Schumann was authorized to use the card for work-related purposes, up to 80% of purchases recorded were improper or unsupported, according to the report.

It said that after county officials uncovered the purchases, Schumann resigned in January 2023.

The report said the steps taken by Sand's office did not constitute an audit of financial statements, and that had one been conducted, "other matters might have come to (their) attention."

It said that among other things, the county failed to require itemized receipts or verify purchases were for permitted items.

Sand's' office filed copies of the report with the Lucas County Attorney’s Office, Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Biong M. Biong is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at bbiong@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Auditor finds mishandled funds at Lucas County Health Department