A small Oklahoma school district is under investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 inspector general for the alleged misappropriation of at least $235,000 over a five-year period.
What鈥檚 more, Broken Arrow-based accounting firm Sanders, Bledsoe, and Hewett faced questions from the state board of education about audits that it made at the Swink school district. The firm is responsible for auditing nearly one-fourth of Oklahoma鈥檚 public school districts.
State officials believe the case involves abuse of district fuel cards, falsified checks, forgery, and the use of public dollars to purchase alcohol, tobacco, video games, and other items for personal use.
Education department officials questioned how the company gave Swink clean audits with no reported findings, recommendations, or exceptions over the five-year period.
