Audit shows potentially fraudulent document, County Exec. calls it a “witch hunt”

A personnel letter is at the center of controversy surrounding Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver.
The letter in question dated November 19, 2015 authorized a raise for a County employee.

Last December suspicions were raised about the authenticity of the letter sent to Culver,  enough so that the County Council authorized an independent auditor to investigate.This week auditor James Kern submitted his report to the council claiming the investigation was warranted.

The letter itself was questioned for many reasons starting with the fact that it wasn't on letterhead.

"The letter was not signed, the closing of the letter contained typed names of the director of finance and another county employee followed by italicized font of their names, which gave the appearance of a signature, but no actual signature," Kern said.

According to Kern the finance director said they had no knowledge of the letter. So the investigation then went to Culver.

"The external auditors showed that letter to the county executive and he told them that he had made the hand written notes on the letter and he had revised the percentaging increase to a lower percentage than what was stated within the letter and that he signed under the notations under the notations approving the salary increase," Kern said.

Pushing further Kern and his associates looked to conduct more interviews to find the truth about the possibly fraudulent letter, but Culver admittedly put a stop to those interviews in April. 

He disagreed with the findings saying the Finance Director, Leslie Lewis, authorized another county employee to draft the letter.

"As far as Leslie writing the document, no she did not, but she approved the document and knowing that it came to me," Culver said.

Culver produced copies of an email chain Thursday afternoon, which he says combined with an alleged phone call with the Lewis, prove there was no fraud. 

Culver said he ended the investigation after he felt there could be legal action taken against a County employee. 

County Council John Cannon spoke to 47 ABC earlier in the day about the unfinished investigation, calling it troubling, but saying the Council had exhausted all the options at their disposal.

In a press conference this afternoon Culver said the investigation was financially irresponsible and even went as far as calling it a "political hit job" against him.

In the process of the investigation he says the council defamed innocent employees.  

Culver added there's a strong likelihood that litigation from one or more damaged litigants will come forward.

Cannon has responded said, "If the solution was this simplistic  why wasn't it discussed with the initial auditors and why wasn't it in their report."