Ventura County Treasurer and Tax Collector Larry Matheney will be relieved of his duties as the county's public guardian and public administrator, three years after it was discovered his employees were stealing from the elderly and disabled people whose assets the public guardian oversees.
Matheney told the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that he will "completely concur" with the board's decision to move the public guardian and public administrator functions out of Matheney's office and into the county Human Services Agency. The change could take effect as early as Jan. 1.
Public Guardian's Office employee Esther Anaya Torres was arrested in 2005 and later convicted of stealing from the people whose assets she was supposed to have been guarding. A former custodian in the office, Hiep Quang Le, pleaded guilty to bribery last year, and a third former employee, Juanita Browne, is on trial now, accused of stealing from clients.
A series of criminal and civil investigations, audits and other reports into the Public Guardian's Office showed poor oversight and lax security by Matheney and his deputies in the years leading up the arrests.
Matheney told the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that he will "completely concur" with the board's decision to move the public guardian and public administrator functions out of Matheney's office and into the county Human Services Agency. The change could take effect as early as Jan. 1.
Public Guardian's Office employee Esther Anaya Torres was arrested in 2005 and later convicted of stealing from the people whose assets she was supposed to have been guarding. A former custodian in the office, Hiep Quang Le, pleaded guilty to bribery last year, and a third former employee, Juanita Browne, is on trial now, accused of stealing from clients.
A series of criminal and civil investigations, audits and other reports into the Public Guardian's Office showed poor oversight and lax security by Matheney and his deputies in the years leading up the arrests.
6 comments:
Why does it take so long for someone to step in and do something to stop the stealing, on the spot, as soon as there is an awareness? Who has the ultimate responsibility?
WAKE UP AMERICA! The ring of thieves have their eyes on YOU!
This IS NOT an isolated case. This is happening in your state, your county, your courthouse.
All guardianship and estate probate files in every courthouse in the country must be audited and reviewed.
The results of the investigations would be staggering, revealing and proving the widespread criminal activities that have been spreading like an epidemic, a toxic waste spill nationwide.
If this national crisis is allowed to continue and grow, the impact on society and the taxpayers will be a another financial disaster.
All of these people and the unknown crooks in this ring of crooks deserve to be incarcerated for the rest of their lives. They were in positions of trust and they knowing betrayed those who depended on them all in the name of GREED!
Matheney should have been gone three years ago.
Yes, a full audit of guardianship and probate files in every courthouse is called for. The corruption has run rampant.
This article demonstrates how easy it is for those who should be protectors steal and why stringent oversight is needed.
Nobody's guarding the henhouse and the foxes are running amuck.
Can the foxes help being foxes? That's what I wonder.
Why do people even have the thought of taking advantage of the weak and less fortunate? Let alone build it up to a money making machine?
It's a typical scenerio - ignore the problem and hope no one pushes it. Then when the problem gets discovered anyway, act shocked.
Matheney should be held monitarily accountable for his laxness and for turning the other way.
I agree!
Personal responsibility and someone should actually be held accountable, imagine that?
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