DES MOINES, Iowa — A state audit report says Gov. Kim Reynolds fired the leader of Iowa’s state-run nursing home for veterans in May after learning he had been overpaid by $90,000 over a nearly two-year period.
The report by State Auditor Rob Sand included more than $90,000 in gross wages paid to former Iowa Veterans Home Commandant Timon Oujiri and more than $15,000 in related payroll costs.
The report also says Oujiri told governor’s office representatives in May that he was long aware of the payroll errors that improperly boosted his salary by $950 per week, but that he kept receiving the excess pay.
Oujiri was paid for an extra 32 hours every two weeks from July 2019 to April 2021.
The governor fired Oujiri, who had been commandant since 2017, the next day and her office reported the financial irregularities to the state auditor.
“Former commandant Oujiri’s employment was terminated effective May 5, 2021, due to job performance issues," said Pat Garrett, Gov. Kim Reynold's communications director. "Because the underlying issues were financial in nature, the matter was referred to the Auditor’s Office and resulted in the report filed today."
Garrett said the governor's office is working with the attorney general to recover the overpayments.
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