UPDATE: Former Hastings City employee Tina Maurer, 46, was arraigned Friday, Sept. 29 on felony charges of embezzlement of over $50 by a public official and using a computer to commit a crime, according to the Barry County Prosecutor’s Office. The possible sentence for conviction of the crimes is 10 years but less than 20 years in prison. A probable cause conference is scheduled for Oct. 11 in Barry County District Court.
ORGINAL STORY:An ex-staff member of the City of Hastings has been charged with misappropriating an unspecified amount of money from the city, and the city is seeking full restitution from the woman, according to a news release from City Manager Jeff Mansfield.
The full news release:
“During a routine internal audit conducted this past summer, our staff noted that a relatively small amount of currency was missing from a secure area at City Hall.
“We immediately reported the missing funds to Hastings Police Chief Jeff Pratt, and asked our police department to conduct an investigation into this matter. We also immediately began review of other cash balances and of our accounting records to determine if any other discrepancies appeared to exist.
“In the interest of transparency and full accountability, we asked the Michigan State Police to assist us with the investigation into the missing funds.
“We also retained a private accounting firm specializing in corporate investigations to complete a thorough review of our accounting records and our financial reports for the past several years. These agencies have been conducting their investigations into this matter for the last several months.
“These investigations are now complete. The Michigan State Police Department has submitted the report from their investigation with the Barry County Prosecutor’s Office, and charges have been filed against the former city employee.
“This former employee resigned from her position with the city shortly after the city discovered the missing funds. The city intends to seek full restitution for all funds taken or misappropriated by this employee.
“We also intend to work with our auditors and accountants to implement additional accounting controls to ensure that this situation does not arise again in the future.”
