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Oklahoma state auditor and inspector accuses well commission of fraud

State Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones on Thursday said the Oklahoma Marginal Well Commission negligence allowed for “widespread abuse and potential fraud resulting in questioned costs of $10,028.”

By Adam Wilmoth | Published: October 18, 2012 Comment on this article

The audit includes claims that purchase-card charges were reimbursed for prohibited purchases and for lodging more than 24 hours before or after a business event “on at least three occasions.”

In once instance, an extra day of lodging was reported because of a “flight cancellation due to weather” even though the auditor's report found that “an American Airlines representative verified the flight operated as scheduled.”

The report also found three occasions where parking receipt dates did not match travel claim dates.

The auditor's report recommends increased monitoring of the marginal well commission's activities and called for a more active role from its nine commissioners. The auditor also recommended that the attorney general's office evaluate the agency's activities “to determine if further investigation is warranted.”

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