Ascension Parish government was the victim of two different scams last year that stole $20,000 to $25,000 combined, and both incidents have been referred for criminal investigation, parish auditors reported.
In one case, someone got access to Ascension bank information and used a government operating account to pay parish water bills, the auditors said.
In the other, someone intercepted and altered a parish check to a vendor and deposited it, costing an estimated $17,000.
In both instances, the parish's losses were made whole by the bank, the auditors said.
“All instances, the parish was reimbursed,” said Jacob Waguespack, a partner in the parish auditing firm.
The thefts came to light this week when Ascension's contract auditors with Faulk & Winkler reported the results of their annual review of parish finances and money-handling procedures for 2023.
Tommy LeJeune, managing partner for Faulk & Winkler, told the Parish Council that the thefts were forms of cybercrime prevalent across the state.
“Cybercrime is a pretty serious thing and very active. We've seen that with a number of clients beyond you guys,” LeJeune said. “I've seen that recently with a lot of clients, and I think the significant thing here is it's prevalent and you're putting the processes in place to avoid it in the future.”
Auditors reported parish revenues have gone up by about half in the past five years, hitting $175.4 million in 2023. The parish is also running strong one-time surpluses.
“You're always going to be a target. I mean we just expressed how much you have in the bank,” LeJeune told the council Thursday in Donaldsonville.
The thefts and more precise details on them are expected to be findings in the 2023 audit, which is not yet finalized nor public.
Waguespack said the parish has implemented additional procedures, known as “positive payment,” to double-check with the bank where money is going before it is spent.
He added that the thefts have been reported to the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office, Gonzales Police Department and 23rd Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Parish President Clint Cointment said both instances appear to be outside the parish, with auditors adding it didn't appear to be an employee.
“This is all external to the extent that we know,” Waguespack said.
He added in an interview that the utility payments were caught within 30 days once parish officials reconciled their books for December.
He told the council the intercepted vendor check was caught after the vendor reported to the parish that it had not been paid.
In another audit finding unrelated to the thefts, auditors found parish water customers with large unpaid balances who had not been cut off, Waguespack said.
The customers were contacted after auditors raised the issue with management and have paid the balances, he said.