$22,500 Missing from City Funds
August 22nd, 2016 by
During a special called meeting of the advertising and promotion commission, Wednesday evening, the subject of a check and suspicious invoice for $22,500 was made public.
Prosecuting attorney Thomas Deen told MLive that the case has been turned over to his office for investigation by the Arkansas State Police. It seems that MEDC director Nita McDaniel recently discovered the situation, and presented it to the commission. McDaniel is also a member of the A&P commission.
Shown here is a “suspicious” invoice for the amount, which appears to have been submitted by the Economic Development Fund of Monticello, better known as the nonprofit fund of the MEDC ( Monticello Economic Development Commission), to the City of Monticello’s advertising and promotion account. McDaniel stated, at the meeting, that the invoice did not come from her office.
The description of the service provided on the invoice indicate that it was a 50% payment to reimburse the fund for engineering services for the proposed convention center, which were provided by ETC Engineering. MLive has confirmed that ETC Engineering did not participate in any planning for the convention center project.
Also pictured, a check made payable to the fund from the A&P account.
While no one at the meeting was familiar with the check or invoice, the obvious consistency is that the invoice shows to be approved by Mayor Zack Tucker; the front of the check is signed by Mayor Zack Tucker (and city finance director Vicky Tiner Norris); and the back of the check is endorsed by hand signed signature of Mayor Zack Tucker (without specifying an account for deposit).
Mayor Tucker did not attend the meeting, in order to provide any explanation.
Mayor Tucker told MLive, this morning that he was not able to comment, at this time.
Tucker is being represented by local attorney Hani Hashem, in the matter.
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