A Florida Department of Law Enforcement probe into check handling at the Department of Revenue has been closed, with no charges filed.
The FDLE investigation centered on Deon McCrimmon, a tax specialist whose name appeared on several state warrants for payment.
FDLE investigator Mike Stephenson said in a statement:
"Obviously, it would be a concern with the nature in which the warrant payee was shown; the employee may be able to convert the warrant to personal use.
"Each intercepted check was reviewed and verified that it either was deposited to the state treasury, was canceled by the Department of Financial Services, was not cashed and is in abandoned property, or was mailed to the taxpayer.
"Those that were mailed to the taxpayer were either reviewed by observing the canceled check or by direct contact with the taxpayer to confirm receipt of the check," wrote Stephenson, an inspector with FDLE's public corruption unit.
Stephenson said that after "a complete and thorough investigation by the FDLE, in cooperation with the Department of Revenue," the inquiry was "closed."
"There have not been any identified instances of fraudulent or suspicious activity related to a systematic altering of refunds or conversion of payment intercepts," Stephenson concluded.
Neither FDLE nor DOR explained why the warrants bore McCrimmon's name. Officials did not disclose how many warrants were involved, or in what amounts.
"The DOR has been provided with the relevant information regarding this investigation and the outcome. It has been recommended that the DOR review the policy regarding the employee's name being placed on a state warrant," Stephenson stated.
Department of Revenue spokeswoman Renee Watters confirmed Stephenson's statement, and said, "DOR will continue its review to ensure that there is compliance with department policies and procedures.
"DOR will also, as part of this review, make any appropriate improvements to those policies and procedures."
Sunshine State News, in a series of articles last September, revealed that McCrimmon had been convicted of "defrauding and obtaining money by means of false and fraudulent pretenses" in 2004, less than seven months prior to landing a job at DOR.
McCrimmon was found guilty in U.S. District Court in Georgia of concealing a $139,169 unpaid IRS bill and overstating her income when she applied for a home loan in Albany, Ga.
That news launched an inspector general's inquiry into the circumstances surrounding McCrimmon's subsequent hiring as a DOR "tax specialist."
Two weeks after the Sunshine State News stories appeared, the department announced it had implemented new policies on criminal-background checks of new applicants and current employees.
Watters said McCrimmon is still employed at DOR, but added, "She has been reassigned to a different section with different duties." Watters would not elaborate.
McCrimmon was unavailable for comment.
Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
