New Orleans, La. -
New Orleans' inspector general says a combination of evaluations, audits and criminal probes have saved the city more than $10 million in wasteful spending and fraudulent payments in the last year.
The findings are highlighted in the 2012 annual report from the office of Inspector General Ed Quatrevaux, published Thursday.
"Joint investigations with our federal partners led to eleven indictments and 11 convictions," reads the IG's introduction to the report. "Two cases on state charges resulted in a conviction and an acquittal. Administrative investigations resulted in the termination or suspension of 17 City employees, and two referrals were made to the Judiciary Commission."
FOX 8 News received a copy of the report and the following press release from the Office of Inspector General Thursday afternoon:
Eleven audit and evaluation reports identified $1.03 million in costs that could be avoided, and criminal investigations halted fraudulent schemes that had a potential loss of $9.71 million. Joint investigations with our federal partners at the FBI, HUD-OIG, and the IRS resulted in 11 indictments and 11 convictions. Other OIG criminal investigations led to 1 conviction and 1 acquittal in state court, while administrative investigations resulted in the termination or suspension of 17 City employees.
Inspector General Ed Quatrevaux said, "Prosecutions take a long time to develop, and the cases started two years ago are now entering the public domain. New Orleans is becoming a hard target for those who would steal from it."
The report is attached to this press release. Other reports issued by the Office of Inspector General can be viewed and downloaded from the website at http://www.nolaoig.org.
