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What do you get when you screw Valley Metro out of $315,000??? A years paid vacation which amounts to about $265,000 in cold hard case.
Criminals in the private sector go to prison, government criminals like Valley Metro CEO Stephen Banta, get rewarded. To be honest only $41,224 is actually theft as of now. The other $273,776 may or may not have been stolen. When the Arizona Republic first discovered all suspicious activities, most of the members of the Phoenix City Council offered him a golden parachute, to get out of the way and prevent more dirt from being discovered. I think those Phoenix City Council members are: Greg Stanton, Mayor Source Audit of Valley Metro finds $315k in questionable CEO, staff expenses Craig Harris, The Republic | azcentral.com 4:23 p.m. MST April 28, 2016 An audit found more than $315,000 in unallowable and questionable expenses by Valley Metro staff and ex-Chief Executive Stephen Banta, who resigned after an Arizona Republic investigation. A Phoenix audit found more than $315,000 in unallowable and questionable expenses by Valley Metro staff and ex-Chief Executive Stephen Banta, who resigned last year amid an Arizona Republic investigation into his spending of public funds at the regional transit agency. The audit, released Thursday, notes at least $41,224 of "unallowable CEO expenditures that represent a clear violation of contract, policy and/or regulation." In addition, another $231,225 of Banta's expenses were in question because auditors could not find any supporting documentation. Auditors found another $43,359 in staff expenses that also did not have any supporting documentation. Auditors called upon the Valley Metro board to recover all expenditures "deemed unallowable." "Deficient controls over staff-related expenditures resulted in consistent CEO and staff non-compliance with travel and business-expense policies and misuse of funds," the audit stated. The Attorney General's Office also is investigating Banta. Valley Metro CEO Steven Banta is trying to rescind his resignation. Banta, whose resignation took effect Jan. 4, could not be reached for comment. He was paid $264,493 annually and was owed $265,000 for an annuity received as part of his contract. Interim Valley Metro CEO Scott Smith said he will advise transit board members to not release the annuity, which has been withheld. "There is no doubt that Banta operated in a way where he was looking for every advantage and there was a serious lapse in judgment," Smith said. Banta potentially faces more problems. Board may seek police probe of CEO Banta Banta tries to rescind resignation Criminal investigation of Banta may come Banta, wife racked up taxpayer-funded flights New probe of Valley Metro's Stephen Banta The Arizona Auditor General's Office, which is assisting a state Attorney General's investigation of Banta's spending as CEO, specifically asked Phoenix to exclude from its audit details of certain functions for which Banta sought reimbursement from Valley Metro. Those reimbursements deal with events at which Banta claimed to entertain clients who may be contacted in the future by investigators. The Republic last year found Banta sought and received reimbursement for dinners in locales like Portland, Oregon, San Diego and San Francisco, saying he entertained transit clients. However, those transit officials told The Republic they never attended those dinners. It is unknown who was at those dinners with Banta. Records obtained by The Republic show Banta racked up dinner bills of $230 to $470 apiece, and the total cost exceeded at least $1,340. Mia Garcia, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General's Office, said the office would not comment on its investigation. The newspaper also found Banta used Valley Metro funds to stay in a $600-a-night hotel room, fly first class, buy alcohol and travel back and forth with his wife to Portland, Oregon, where the couple kept a home. Many of Banta's expenses, including the extra $115,000 to avoid taxes on relocation expenses and $36,000 in additional relocation reimbursements, were approved by Chief Financial Officer John McCormack, who announced his resignation in March.
Phoenix City Council Supports crook Stephen BantaWhen the Arizona Republic first discovered all suspicious activities, most of the members of the Phoenix City Council offered him a golden parachute, to get out of the way and prevent more dirt from being discovered. I think those Phoenix City Council members are:Greg Stanton, Mayor Other articles on Valley Metro CEO and crook Stephen Banta
Other articles on Valley Metro
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