Case Studies of Fraudulent Activity in Henrico County

The Department of Finance, in conjunction with Internal Audit, has released a new procedure for notifying supervisors, department agency heads and the appropriate County agency heads if any employee or department suspects fraudulent activity by a County employee. Henrico County is committed to personal accountability and to protecting the County’s assets, including materials, equipment, and money.

The procedure can be found on the Finance SharePoint site under Finance Policies.

The following are a few examples of previous fraudulent activity identify what this activity might look like:

Falsifying overtime hours:

A county employee had been working overtime for an approved project for several months. As a result, the employee began to use the overtime funds, not as extra pay, but to pay for bills and extra expenses. When the project was over, the employee needed the overtime funds to continue those payments and purchases. So, instead of reigning in expenses, the employee added extra hours as overtime thinking no one would notice and the supervisor approved the timecards.

When you submit a timecard, you affirm “Falsification of any record, report, or document, including timecards, is prohibited and will be handled in accordance with the appropriate law and/pr County policy. Personnel Policies and Procedures Sections 13.4 Standards of Conduct. Omission of entries is also considered falsification.”

Another employee noticed on social media, the employee posted they were out of town the day they posted hours for overtime. When the overtime hours were investigated, it was discovered the employee had been falsifying overtime hours. The employee had to pay back the overtime hours identified as fraudulent and was terminated.

Using equipment and stealing fuel for personal use:

A county employee needed to do yardwork and their mower was broken. Their job included mowing grass, so they had access to a County mower. They thought it would be no big deal to use the mower one time at home. No one would notice. In addition, they filled their County gas can with fuel to run the mower at home. It wasn’t long before that one time, became a habit. They brought the mower back every day, so it was not “stealing,” they were just “borrowing” it and would stop when they purchased a mower.

Another employee noticed they were putting the County mower and gas can in their personal truck. They reported it to their supervisor. The incident was investigated, and it was determined the employee had been using the mower and fuel for personal use. The employee had to pay for the gas that was stolen and was terminated.

Stealing money payable to the County:

An employee had become behind on their bills. They had access to County money. Lots of money flowed through every day and they really needed the money. No one would notice if they “borrowed” the money. They would pay it back when they got their finances straight. They knew the department was not really reconciling their deposits to their monthly statements. No one would notice if they “voided” a receipt. The supervisor was not reviewing the voids and did not notice the increased number of voids. It seemed so easy, it continued. They “needed” the money more than the County.

The supervisor noticed something was a little off. The deposits were less than they were in the past, but the work had not slowed. Upon further review, the number of voided transactions stood out and it was identified one employee had the most voids and had not had an issue in the past. Due to the amount of funds suspected of being stolen, it was reported to the Police, who also investigated. It was determined there was sufficient evidence to arrest the employee. The employee was arrested and had to go through the court system, in addition to losing their job.

We share this information because accountability is one of the County’s core values. If you see someone not being a good steward of County resources, please report it. Trust and integrity are essential values for all Henrico County employees. We have a responsibility to provide our citizens a government characterized by accountability and responsibility.

These case studies are based on a combination of real cases in Henrico County but the details have been fictionalized so they do not represent the exact circumstances, and identities can remain confidential.

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Taking Care of Our Tactical Athletes

Tactical professions, such as police officers, firefighters, and sheriff’s deputies, use their minds and bodies to protect and serve.  Being in good physical condition enhances the ability to face physical, environmental and psychological challenges both on and off duty. The demands of these occupations have shown to increase both the risk of chronic diseases (heart disease, cancer and obesity) and musculoskeletal injuries as compared to the general population; not to mention the increased risks of developing cancer and suffering from obesity.  Unlike a typical sports athlete, “tactical” athletes face the unknown all year round, day in and day out. This underscores how imperative finding a balanced relationship between work, fitness, nutrition, sleep and personal life habits is; to combat these known risks and to promote an enhanced quality of life. 

Through Tactical Strength and Conditioning (TSAC) classes, coaching, and challenges, the Henrico County Public Safety Fitness Program strives to make sure our tactical athletes can achieve that balance. They work with the Police, Fire, and Sheriff departments to research and apply appropriate and effective strength and conditioning strategies to optimize job performance and prevent injury for both recruits and sworn incumbents. Let’s see firsthand the positive impacts it has had on two of our own:

Sergeant Dustin Eddington’s story:

I am a Sergeant for the Police Division and I am currently assigned to the Prevention Services Unit – CIT/TAT (Crisis Intervention Team/ Threat Assessment Team).  I work with the unit by visiting citizens in the community that may either be in a mental health crisis and/or in need of services, to include voluntary/involuntary hospitalization. 

Our unit also works all threat assessments: acts of violence, school shootings or other mass casualty threats in hopes to de-escalate and treat those persons.  I am also a Peer Support Person that is available to our first responders in times of stress should they need someone to talk to/listen. For my primary job, my day starts typically at 6:30 am and ends 4:30 pm. I also work secondary jobs 3-4 days a week which gets me home at about 11:00 pm at least 2-3 days a week. So, to say I have a busy schedule, well that would be close to accurate.  I average 70 hours of work a week. 

I started this Health Trip journey almost 2 years ago after a health scare in my family forced me to look at my own health. I weighed in at over 270 pounds at that time. I was grossly overweight and totally out of physical shape. I attended a class on a whim, just to see where I was from their point of view. It was horrible. I could not even complete a workout. Still on my journey, I have lost 70 pounds so far. I try to start off 4-5 days a week at the gym, working out with the TSAC morning program.  It gets my day started on the right track and focused; knowing that my personal goal of exercise has been completed and I can now focus on the day’s events, whatever they should be. I am in a totally different place as far as physical shape and can complete the workouts.

Now, I challenge fellow peers to join the program (see the stats of Detective Damon Grant below), which has been a huge pay it forward accomplishment that I am most proud of. My journey is ongoing with no end in sight, but with the training and assistance of Joshua Gaskins and Joey Pacelli I am meeting and exceeding my goals.

It is a challenge, but I am not alone, as others have stepped up and joined in on achieving their own personal weight management goals, which is a huge motivator to me, knowing that I am not alone in the struggle… Some Days, the struggle is Real… 🙂

If you have read this all the way to the end, I appreciate it. I hope that if you are someone in need of that “push” to get into the gym, please know that you’re not alone and you will have help every step of the way.  You just have to show up and put in the work.

Damon Grant’s Success Story:

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and had an episode with high blood sugar. My Sergeant was affiliated with this class and introduced me to Josh. I started working out with the class and it was tough. I was overweight and not feeling very energetic. Since I have been working out with this class, there have been some positive changes. Despite the pandemic originally canceling fitness classes, Dustin and I still followed Josh’s program. Now, with classes resumed I have lost 59 pounds since February 2020.

The icing on the cake is that both Dustin and Damon recently completed the 30-day Concept 2 Rower Fall Team Challenge with Team Henrico. Dustin finished in third place on the team with 201,014 meters and Damon finished in fourth place with 186,641 meters. Their amazing efforts helped Team Henrico earn first place in the Corporate Division in this worldwide competition!

While the focus of the Public Safety Fitness Program is to help Henrico’s tactical athletes,  certainly, everyone can relate to the challenges of a good work-life balance and the battle to stay healthy along the way. The Fitness and Wellness Division offers many opportunities to assist all permanent Henrico County employees on their Health Trip journey. 

Follow us on Facebook and Power Henrico to learn more!

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The Surprising Benefits of an Attitude of Gratitude

After a tough year, you may be looking for ways to add a little more positivity to your life. One surprisingly simple way is to express gratitude.

In fact, scientific research shows a connection between expressing gratitude and physical and mental well‐being.1 In one study, researchers asked one group of participants to write about things they were grateful for and another group to write about things that irritated them.2 After 10 weeks, testing showed that the people who wrote about being grateful were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. They also exercised more and logged fewer visits to doctors than the group that focused on irritating things.

How can you be more grateful in a time of increased unpredictability and anxiety? It may take a little effort. Experts recommend everything from keeping a gratitude journal in which you list the things you’re thankful for to meditating to performing small acts of kindness.3 Even writing thank‐you notes can help. While you may not have control over the events that shape your life, you do have some control over how you view those events — and deliberately cultivating gratitude may help you maintain a positive outlook.

At this point, you may be asking: What does expressing gratitude have to do with saving for retirement? Not a lot—at first glance. But maybe being happier in the here‐and‐now can make it easier to focus on planning for the future. At least it’s worth a try.

1 Psychology Today, “The Positive Impact of Gratitude on Mental Health,” June 29, 2020.

2 Harvard University, “Giving thanks can make you happier,” June 17, 2020.

3 NIH News in Health, “Practicing Gratitude,” March 2019.

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A healthy boost to your day in less than 5 minutes

Start your day with this green smoothie packed with a variety of fruits, like pineapple and banana, in each serving and a nutrient-rich combination of fiber, vitamins and minerals in each sip. The healthy boost comes from the 2 ½ cups of fruits and vegetables in this smoothie recipe meeting the American Heart Associations’ daily intake recommendations to prevent Cancer and disease.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup spinach
  • ½ medium banana, frozen
  • ½ cup pineapple, frozen
  • 4 ounces orange juice (can substitute coconut water to lessen sugar grams and calories)
  • 4 ounces water
  • 1 cup ice

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients into the blender. Blend until smooth.
  2. Spinach is packed with nutrients and antioxidants and it is low in calories. The leaves have a very mild flavor making is an easy option for green smoothies. You can barely taste the spinach when its combined with frozen bananas and pineapple.

Spinach Benefits:

  • Nutrient dense food packed with magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, vitamins A, C and K.
  • Great source of antioxidants Lutein and Zeaxanthin to promote eye health by protecting the eyes from UV light.

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