Washington State Man Accused Of Embezzling More Than $1 Million From County

Dennis M. Huston, 65, of Pasco, Washington, has been accused of embezzling more than $1 million from Franklin County where he serves as director of accounting and administration.  According to authorities, Huston's embezzlement scheme spanned at least 10 years.  He has been charged with first-degree theft, money laundering and possessing cocaine and has been placed on administrative leave.  Interestingly, Huston has a criminal past and spent four years in prison for employing a similar scheme in the mid-1980s at the Bureau of Reclamation in Billings Montana.  In this case, like the Montana case, Huston reportedly created a dummy company through which fraudulent billings could be run. He reportedly stole $141,000 in the Montana case.

Developing...

Read the story here, here and here.

Hat tip: FraudTalk reader Joe.

Update (2/9/12): Huston has reportedly been fired from his position as director of accounting and administration for Franklin County.

Update (2/29/12): Huston was reportedly investigated by the FBI in 2009 based upon an anonymous letter accusing him of fraud.  The investigation apparently did not result in any prosecution.  Read the story here.

Update (3/22/12): Franklin County is seeking more than $2.8 million in restitution from Huston which is what it now claims was embezzled by the former county manager.  Huston allegedly used a vendor scheme to submit fraudulent invoices to be paid by the county.