Auditor Fitzpatrick launches audit to determine if taxpayer dollars were misused by the former Neelyville City Clerk

An investigation conducted by the Missouri State Auditor's Office found a Whistleblower complaint alleging potential misuse of taxpayer dollars by the former Neelyville City Clerk to be credible, and now Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has launched an audit to determine the full extent of the fraud and abuse that may have taken place in the small town located in Southeast Missouri. The audit, which was requested by the city's Board of Aldermen, commenced with a meeting with city officials on Wednesday, March 19. 

Contact with the city began when a Whistleblower made a hotline submission expressing concerns about the potential misuse of tax dollars by former City Clerk Ginna Davis. The ensuing investigation conducted by Fitzpatrick's office found the potential for fraudulent transactions including insufficient cash deposits, questionable expenditures that are not supported by invoices, and concerns with payroll checks. The investigation recommended an audit to perform a thorough review of the issues raised by the Whistleblower complaint. The city's Board of Aldermen then passed a resolution inviting the State Auditor's Office to conduct the audit. 

"Our investigation uncovered the potential for fraud in a number of areas in the City of Neelyville, but there's still a lot we don't know that the audit can help us uncover. We want to get answers for the people of Neelyville who deserve to know the truth about what's happening with their tax dollars," said Auditor Fitzpatrick. "With the current mayor and Board of Aldermen requesting this audit, I am hopeful we will get the cooperation and access we need to complete a detailed review of the city's finances and operations and that recommendations made in the audit will be swiftly implemented. I encourage anyone who may have additional information that would be helpful for our audit to reach out through our Whistleblower Hotline." 

The audit will be conducted by the Public Corruption and Fraud Division, which is a unit within the Missouri State Auditor's Office dedicated to rooting out fraud, waste and abuse in state, county and local government and assisting law enforcement to ensure public officials are held accountable for their actions. 

This marks the first time the State Auditor's Office has audited the City of Neelyville. Auditor Fitzpatrick previously released an audit of the Naylor-Neelyville Ambulance district in 2024 that uncovered nearly a quarter of a million dollars misappropriated from the district. 

Individuals may provide confidential information for consideration during the audit of the City of Neelyville to the State Auditor's Whistleblower Hotline at 800-347-8597, by email at moaudit@auditor.mo.gov or by visiting www.auditor.mo.gov/hotline.