Cindy Byrd releases audit for Town of Coyle
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - The Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector Cindy Byrd office today released her investigative audit report for the Town of Coyle in Logan County.
The Logan County District Attorney’s office requested the State Auditor & Inspector’s Office (SA&I) to perform a forensic audit of the Town and the Coyle Public Works Authority (CPWA) transactions.
According to Byrd, the audit uncovered that, between January 1, 2018 and December 16, 2019, Jennifer Jones, then Town Clerk/Treasurer, misappropriated $63,663.93 in Town and CWPA funds.
Jones primarily misappropriated cash and checks received for utility payments and deposits, fire department dues and payments, and citation payments.
An additional $6,219.00 of questioned costs were related to unauthorized payroll payments received by both Jones and her spouse, William Jones.
Coyle has an average of $301,000 in annual revenue. The audit found 20% of annual revenues during the audit period were misappropriated.
“There is a lesson here for every town and municipality in Oklahoma,” Auditor Cindy Byrd said. “Any person entrusted with handling public money must be subjected to rigorous oversight and accountability. Every case of fraud, waste, or abuse we uncover is preventable. The State Auditor & Inspector’s office is here to help any government entity in Oklahoma build the proper safeguards to stop misappropriation before it starts.”
The final audit report recommends the Town of Coyle stop accepting cash as a form of payment. At a minimum, if cash continues to be accepted, the Board should conduct a monthly review of bank statements, according to Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector Cindy Byrd.
“Our forensic audit team worked tirelessly and deserves the credit for uncovering the problems in Coyle,” Auditor Byrd said. “However, our work would not have been possible if not for a former CPA serving on the Town of Coyle Board of Trustees who discovered these irregularities. She is an example of how leaders should be vigilant in their oversight of spending.”
The final audit report has been handed over to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the District Attorney’s office.
The full audit report is posted here on the Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector’s official website.