DES MOINES, Iowa — A now-deceased Des Moines library employee illegally bought more than $28,000 in gift cards with library funds, per an audit released by library officials Friday.
The employee worked at the library for six years. When she died in April, library officials found evidence of improper use of a library credit card.
The library worked with the Iowa State Auditor and a forensic account firm to review purchasing card transactions dating back to January 2016.
Investigators found $28,441 in losses attributable to the single employee.
No other employees were flagged in the audit.
“The Des Moines Public Library’s goal is to be a good steward of all of our financial resources. While participating in this investigation, we began putting additional checks and balances in place to ensure that the library is well protected in the future,” said Library Director, Sue Woody. “We are grateful for the work of the auditors as well as the City’s Finance Department throughout the investigation.”
The full report is available upon request by contacting pio@dmgov.org.
