San Antonio City officials say they have conducted a full audit of the city-funded Central San Antonio organization, and has determined that no public tax money was lost in a well publicized embezzlement, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
“I’m pleased and relieved that Public Improvement District funds were not part of the alleged fraud at Centro San Antonio,” said City Manager Sheryl Sculley. “This audit reaffirms what we believed from the beginning - that PID funds were used as intended and that the alleged fraud only involved Centro’s private funding from membership fees and sponsorships.”
Centro San Antonio is a private organization, but it is one of some 200 private organization which receives tax money to help fund its operations, which, in this case, involves promoting the downtown area.
Other partly city-funded private non profits perform activities ranging from feeding the homeless to helping fight domestic violence.
City officials said last fall that a former Centro staff member had conducted a complicated embezzlement scheme in which she allegedly made up an audit to cover her tracks. More than $200,000 was lost due to the embezzlement, which prompted the resignation of the group's executive director.
There are efforts underway at City Hall to tighten controls over publically funded organizatons which are not part of the city.