County Executives Meeting With Attorneys On 911 Investigation

Overton County Executive Ben Danner said he would be meeting Tuesday morning with the county attorney concerning an investigation of the Overton/Pickett Emergency Communications District.

Danner said he would likely not comment on the report Tuesday.

Pickett County Executive Richard Daniel said he planned to discuss the report with the county attorney Tuesday.

The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office found some $85,000 in questionable expenses made by the district last fiscal year.

“We question whether many of these expenditures where for a business-related purpose and whether the items were used exclusively in the operation of the district,” Tuesday’s report said.

Six of the 13 Overton/Pickett Emergency District Board Members contacted said they were aware of the ongoing investigation, but did not know of Tuesday’s release and had not seen the report.

One board member said he had spoken to investigators but did not know the subject of the inquiry.

The expenditures in question date from July, 2015 to July, 2017.

Among the major findings:

The board did not provide adequate oversight of the Overton/Pickett EMS Service. The board includes nine members selected by the Overton County Commissioners and four selected by Pickett County Commissioners.

“The lack of oversight by board members contributed to the failure to properly account for district funds,” Tuesday’s report said.

A total of ten different individuals were paid to climb towers with the district. The climbers do repairs and maintenance on the 911-system. Of the ten, three individuals have relationships to the District Director Chris Masiongale or to district employees. Those three people received more than $9,400 of the $12,500 spent.

“We could not determine whether these tower climbs occurred (based on lack of documentation),” the report said.

The district did not have detailed receipts with purposes noted for many food purchases. The comptroller’s office noted some $18,700 in questionable purchases. Some were made on weekends. Some, according to investigators, appeared to be for only one or two meals.

Masiongale told investigators the district provides food for weekly supervisors/managers meetings and board meetings.

One receipt showed the purchase of three Blue Moon Beers at $4.99 each. Two board meetings at Pier 42 Restaurant totaled $1,357 in food and beverage charges. Alcohol was charged to the district credit card.

Total charges at Sam’s Club reached more than $5,500 and included items such as vitamins, cutlery, plates, crackers, nuts, pastries, canola oil, popcorn, and sodas. The comptroller’s office could not verify the expenses as business-related.

Masiongale told investigators he bought food to try to make staff on 12-hour shifts comfortable. Board members said they were not aware of such regular purchases.

The report found Masiongale charged some $3,441 in emergency response items including warning lights and a concealment speaker to the district. The items were used to equip his vehicle for emergency response. However, the comptroller said that those expenses are prohibited uses of district revenue.

The Comptroller said several purchases violated conflict of interest concerns that do not show an “arms-length transaction.” These include a communications tower purchased from Masiongale’s brother for $3,230. The board did not approve the purchase.

“At least one board member who is also a check signer was unsure whether the tower from Indiana was purchased with district funds,” the report said.

In another case, Masiongale paid his four children/step children to perform administrative tasks in the wake of the 2015 ice storm.

Masiongale has a company vehicle which can be used for personal and professional use, according to district policy. The comptroller’s office said the policy does not define personal use and does require Masiongale to report personal use as a taxable benefit. According to the investigation, it appears Masiongale did so, reporting $780 taxable personal benefit.

Board members told investigators they were not aware of out-of-state trips Masiongale made and the use of the district credit card for fuel.

The comptroller’s report also questioned multiple equipment purchases totalling $18,100 that did not appear to be board-approved. They included a $3,800 trailer, a $4,100 ice machine, and $3,600 massage chair, a $3,500 sand-blast cabinet air compressor and a $2,500 golf cart.

The district purchased some $3,000 in employee benefits including Sam’s Club and AirEvac memberships. The comptroller questioned whether personal benefits were permissible uses of district funds.

In addition, the district paid travel expenses for Masiongale and district employees that violated the district’s policy. In many cases, they did not meet the policy’s standards on length of stay.

The state questioned some $8,000 in expenditures for training classes and equipment. Investigators could not determine how much of the money paid for training among district employees.

Tuesday’s report further found the Overton/Pickett District did not maintain adequate purchasing procedures and did not maintain proper inventory records.