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Source: http://lsp.org/news_detail.html?id=6763

id cleanReleaseDate troopName title
6763 2011-01-03 Statewide DPS Employee Arrested For Theft
LOUISIANA STATE POLICE
COURTESY LOYALTY SERVICE

Colonel Michael D. Edmonson, Superintendent

HEADQUARTERS- NEWS RELEASE

January 3, 2011
DPS Employee Arrested For Theft

BATON ROUGE- On Monday, January 3, 2011, State Police Detectives arrested a Department of Public Safety employee after she used her position as a refund transaction processor to misdirect money from the State to personal bank accounts.

Lashunda Fleming (B/F, age 30, of Baton Rouge), was arrested Monday following a State Police investigation which determined that she illegally diverted over $12,000 from the DPS-Office of Management and Finance into personal bank accounts. In November 2010, supervisors at the DPS-OMF discovered suspicious transaction activity on an Office of Motor Vehicles credit card refund account. DPS-OMF immediately began an internal investigative audit of refund transactions since the beginning of November and learned Fleming processed nearly 20 fraudulent DPS credit card transaction refunds. DPS-OFM forwarded their findings to State Police detectives for criminal investigation. State Police detectives determined Fleming had deposited the refunds into various personal bank accounts.

“Due to the safeguards in place and the swift actions of personnel at the Office of Management and Finance, this illegal activity was quickly identified and brought to State Police Detectives for a full criminal investigation.” said Colonel Michael Edmonson, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Public Safety. “Integrity is a key principal within the Department of Public Safety. We will not tolerate anyone who chooses to violate the public’s trust.”

Based on the results of the investigation, Fleming was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges of Felony Theft and Malfeasance in Office. Fleming resigned from her position today. DPS will seek restitution from Fleming for the misappropriated funds.

For more information contact:
Sgt. Markus L. Smith
Public Affairs Unit
Louisiana State Police – Headquarters
Office: (225) 925-6202
markus.smith@dps.la.gov
www.LSP.org
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