IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Beaumont is pledging its full cooperation with the Riverside County District Attorney’s office in that office’s investigation into the city’s corruption scandal.
City officials are also taking action to make sure such a scandal never happens again, Mayor Mike Lara said in a statement.
“We have been cooperating with all outside agencies [that] have begun investigations and audits,” Lara stated in the one-page statement released Wednesday, one day after he made those same comments to the city council. “Their goals of accountability are similar to ours. We have brought new management into the city. We have brought in experts to evaluate our controls over public resources, how we manage our finances and how we account for those same resources.”
On Tuesday, seven former Beaumont officials were charged with embezzlement of public funds, misappropriation of public funds and conspiracy in connection with nearly $43 million that was taken from the city.
Possible prison sentences ranging from 26 years to five years, according to the district attorney’s office.
In response to the arrests, Beaumont has beefed up its internal controls and fiscal accountability while enhancing its controls on spending. The city is also trying to reduce its use of contractors, Lara said.
