02/11/2021
State Auditor Nicole
Galloway issued a statement after Mary Lou Browning, the former clerk for the
City of Coffey, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay
restitution. A 2018 audit of Coffey found
the former clerk failed to make deposits, received improper payroll payments,
and falsified board minutes and various financial reports in order to steal
more than $60,000 from the city.
"When we discover
abuse, it puts others on notice that wrongdoing will not be tolerated. That was
the case with my audit of the City of Coffey, which detailed a serious breach
of public trust at the expense of citizens. I appreciate the efforts of law
enforcement and am especially grateful for the work of Prosecuting Attorney
Annie Gibson in getting justice for taxpayers."
A follow-up report on the City of
Coffey was issued in 2019. That report found that city officials had either
implemented or were in the process of implementing the audit's recommendations
to improve fiscal controls and oversight to better safeguard taxpayer dollars.