Local News in Brief : County Kickback Probe
Investigators are looking into suspected kickbacks to a Los Angeles County employee from an auto parts supplier as the explanation for a missing $100,000, officials said Wednesday.
Sheriff’s investigators and county auditors are probing allegations that the automobile parts had been paid for but not delivered to the Facilities Management Department for county vehicles.
The investigation was launched in January after another employee raised questions about the high number of purchase orders being used and accused a fellow worker of accepting kickbacks from a vendor. Sheriff’s Deputy Charles Gibbons said investigators subsequently found purchase orders for auto parts that did not fit the vehicles for which they were ordered and discovered multiple orders for identical parts for the same vehicles.
“We suspect that (the loss) will be in excess of $100,000,” he said.
The Facilities Management Department maintains the county’s fleet of 5,400 vehicles and purchases about $3 million worth of auto parts annually.
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