The Austin City Auditor’s Office is charging a former forensic services manager with fraud. Efrain Perez allegedly used a city-issued credit card to purchase approximately $3,000 worth of gift cards and firearm accessories, which he wrote off as purchasing costs for the department.
Although Mr. Perez managed day-to-day operations and made and approved employee purchases for the forensics department, he made purchases in late 2022 and falsified receipts to purchase items for city business. It is said that he was pretending to be.The 11-page audit released on Monday.
Forensic Division Director Dr. Dana Cadaby said the division became aware of the discrepancies in February and worked with the Financial Services Division to investigate the transactions. The department began responding to inquiries from the city auditor’s office in March.
“Both the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Forensic Science Board were aware that this investigation was ongoing,” Dr. Dana Cadaby, chief of the forensic science division, said in a statement. “This matter is currently being forwarded to the Austin Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit to evaluate potential criminal charges related to this matter.”
Perez resigned in May, according to the audit. The Statesman reached out to Perez for comment, but he could not immediately be reached.
suspicious purchase
Perez is accused of purchasing 15 Visa gift cards worth a total of approximately $1,500 and spending $1,550 on firearm accessories.
Receipts cited in the audit show Perez shipped the items to his home and a “nearby storage locker” and changed the shipping address to the forensic science office’s address.
According to the audit report, he denied purchasing gift cards in a meeting with the audit department before he resigned.
“He (Perez) claimed to have purchased supplies and books for the department at the request of staff or for the general use of the department,” the audit said. “However, when we asked forensic staff about these purchases, they denied requesting these items in November and December 2022.”
In the city’s financial system, Perez claimed to have purchased firearm accessories for the forensics department. This was disputed by a supervisor who said the purchased items were not used by the department, according to the audit.
The audit found that Perez violated three city ordinances by forging receipts and using city funds for personal purposes.
“Mr. Perez had an assigned procurement card that was repossessed by Financial Services after the purchase of gift cards was discovered,” the audit said.
Cadaby said the forensics department was notified by the financial services department on March 1 that Perez’s card and account had been deactivated and cancelled.
Attached to the audit is a memo from Mr. Cadaby stating that the Forensic Division and the Austin Police Department’s Financial Services Bureau reviewed the audit and did not dispute its findings.
Cadaby said the department’s policy regarding credit card issuance did not change after the investigation.
“I am reassured that we have the correct policies and procedures in place that led to the discovery of the abuse,” Cadabby said in a statement.