BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Legislative Auditor's Office said three Zachary government employees used city fuel cards for personal use, according to a recent audit.

In July 2018, officials discovered the employees were using the cards inappropriately. The estimated amount of funds misappropriated was approximately $9,800.

Two employees were suspended without pay for 35 days, put on six months probation, and had to pay back $1,300. Officials say the third employee was arrested. According to the audit, the employee resigned and agreed to forfeit vacation and sick pay. 

Policies were in place that would have prevented the fraud noted in this finding, but those policies were not followed as required. All Department Heads have now been instructed that they must follow the policy and report on their findings on a monthly basis. Some Departments, where feasible, have strengthened the policy where the cards are now checked out before use.

Click here to read the full audit.