Insurance Paid Out $162K After Fuel Theft from Louisiana School System
A state audit says a Louisiana school bus mechanic allegedly stole about $200,000 in fuel by using a school board fuel card to fill log truck tanks.
The audit says a phishing scam cost the Union Parish School Board another $8,000.
A private firm working for the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office checked the year ending June 30, 2018.
They say insurance covered nearly $162,000 of the fuel thefts, which occurred from September 2013 to December 2017.
The mechanic was fired in January. Auditors say the school board now reviews fuel invoices monthly and immediately investigates any large usages.
The News-Star reports that mechanic Terrance Wallace has pleaded not guilty to parish charges of malfeasance and theft. Wallace waived his right to a jury. The case has not yet come to trial.