Sep 29, 2009 12:19 am US/Pacific
NewsCentral Exposes Alleged Theft At Parole Agency
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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NewsCentral obtained a report exclusively, documenting thousands of dollars in missing money – and checks. Cash assistance that was supposed to go to parolees to help get them back on track.
CBS
State parole agents are supposed to watch over parolees. But who's watching them? NewsCentral exposes thousands of dollars in aid -- missing from a local parole office. As investigative reporter david goldstein shows us in this exclusive report, it could be an inside job.
"What can you say as far as the investigation and what's going on?
At first parole officials didn't want to talk.
"You can't talk about it? Missing bank drafts. Missing Money. Missing bus tokens. Apparently an inside job by your parole agents?"
"Ummm, you have the report."
That's right. NewsCentral obtained the report exclusively, documenting thousands of dollars in missing money – and checks. Cash assistance that was supposed to go to parolees to help get them back on track.
But instead stolen. Perhaps by parole agents. Troubling to unit supervisor James Symington.
"Just the fact that money and things were stolen inside your office here, your thoughts about that?"
"Obviously it's bothersome to me that something like that would occur."
We obtained this memo documenting the stolen money at the Alameda State Parole Office on Alameda Boulevard in South L.A. It details missing state bank drafts. Missing bus tokens. Missing food vouchers. All taxpayer money.
The drafts are checks like this one. They go to parolees to help them stay out of trouble, giving them money when they get out of prison to get back on their feet.
Sources say some checks were made out to parolees, but the parolees never received them. The checks were cashed by someone else.
"How does that happen in a parole office like this? An inside job with stolen bank drafts, stolen money. You have security all around the place. Were you surprised that it happened?"
"Of course."
"While the report only deals with the Alameda Parole Office, our sources say they are looking statewide, to see if the issue of missing bank drafts, missing money, missing bus tokens, is a problem in other parole offices.
In this case, parole officials outlined a corrective plan. The stolen items are being investigated by the department's internal affairs, but no one else.
"But why wouldn't you report it to local authorities?"
"Because we don't know exactly what happened. We're trying to determine what happened."
"That's what police do?"
"Yes, and we have our own police, we have internal affairs to check out that stuff."
Some people might say you're investigating yourself and that's not right, perhaps it should be outside agencies?"
"I'm not going to spend any more time. If you just wanna submit your questions and I'll answer them."
With that he left. Not able to answer the question of where is thousands of dollars of missing taxpayer money – and who's responsible.
In South L.A., I'm David Goldstein.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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