Feds find Dallas County DA's office misspent funds - Dallas Morning News
The Dallas County district attorney’s office must return $112,000 in misspent federal funds, following a U. S. Department of Justice audit. The agency conducted the audit of the district attorney’s forfeiture fund after concerns that former district attorney Craig Watkins misspent money from forfeiture fund accounts, which comes from money obtained in criminal investigations. Neither Watkins nor the district attorney’s office returned requests for comment Wednesday. Many lawyers’ employers pay bar dues, but the audit said the district attorney’s office should not have used the federal funds to do it. The DA’s office was not allowed to pay its employees’ bar dues because it cannot provide money for memberships... But he did say the DA’s office is not able to spend any funds. Once the money is reimbursed and changes are made to how the DA’s office tracks the fund, the office can once again spend money from the account. The audit found that another $1,800 was improperly spent on a settlement after the DA’s office lost and then reacquired a candy red 2001 Porsche Boxster that officials said was used for undercover duties. An attorney for a man who bought the Porsche after it was auctioned. Source: www.dallasnews.com
