Employee used city credit card to buy John Wick movie, then altered receipts, audit finds

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An investigation by the Office of the City Auditor has found a City of Austin employee falsely reported a personal purchase as a city business transaction, then altered receipts to cover it up.

In a report released Friday, the auditor's office said it received an allegation against Transportation and Public Works Superintendent Michael Collier in August 2023. The allegation was that Collier used a city-issued credit card for a personal expense and created a false item description in the city's credit card system.

The audit found that Collier used his city credit card to purchase a movie, John Wick: Chapter 4, in July 2023. "Collier printed out the receipt for the purchase," the audit report said. "He blacked out the title of the movie but left the director and actors visible. Collier submitted this receipt with his other credit card receipts for the cycle."

In the city's credit card system, which employees are required to use, he described the purchase as "Safety Reminders for crew during the HOT season," the report said.

When an accounts payable employee asked Collier for a second receipt without the blacked-out portion, Collier printed out an receipt with the title altered to read "Work Place Shooter Safety Awareness," according to the report. Seven additional entries were altered on the receipt, including the price, subtotal and sales tax.

The report said by doing so, Collier violated the fraud portion of the city code as well as the misuse of city resources.

Collier initially denied altering any information, the report said, but later admitted to making all of the alterations. He told investigators he continued to withhold information from financial staff "because he had since repaid the City for the cost of the movie and hoped the issue would go away."

Collier, who was hired by the city in 2006, previously had a city-issued credit card suspended for failing to comply with city policies. The report said employees with city-issued credit cards must submit receipts each month for their purchases.

"Mr. Collier has been placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the disciplinary process," a spokesperson for the Transportation and Public Works Department told KXAN.