Friday, June 21, 2013

News Release: Franklin County Auditor Matt Beaton receives Voter Outreach Award from WA Secretary of State


Franklin County Auditor Matt Beaton receives Voter Outreach Award from WA Secretary of State

Pasco, WA, June 20, 2013 — Matt Beaton and the Franklin County Elections Department received the Washington Secretary of State Voter Outreach Award.  The award given annually recognizes outstanding efforts to increase voter participation and to better educate the electorate through voter outreach.

Beaton and staff were recognized for their use of technology and the innovative “Vote It, Sign It, Send It”   awareness campaign in the 2012 Presidential Election cycle. Additionally, Franklin County was ranked #1 in Washington State for the increase in registered voters by the PEW Charitable Trusts.  Franklin County increased voter registration 24% from 2008 to 2012.

“It is not so much educating voters as it is reminding them to vote in their otherwise busy lives,” said Franklin County Auditor, Matt Beaton.

Additional election information including a copy of the video is available on the Franklin County website www.co.franklin.wa.us/elections. If your organization would like a copy of the “Vote it, Sign it, Send it!” video emailed or a DVD sent to them, please contact us.

 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Auditor Matt Beaton's Court Testimony on Dennis Huston Fraud



3/27/2013

Your Honor, I am here today at the request of the People of Franklin County.  I have been approached repeatedly by citizens and employees of our county to represent them at this proceeding in my capacity as the elected County Auditor.  Today is about justice and courage.   Justice for the people of Franklin County and courage for this Court to see this crime for what it was: a brazen, calculating, manipulative and well  managed  22 year assault on the people of Franklin County through their government.  There is also a deep desire on behalf of the citizens that approached me that you, as Judge, will understand in your sentencing decision that the people don’t think this is just a “property crime” and that they are tired of the ongoing assault on them by criminals that rob the government and then play on the courts sense of mercy.
This fraud was brazen, calculating, manipulative and well managed.

Brazen:  The fraud started by his own admission in 1990 while on the job for less than a year (and likely  still on parole for a similar fraud against the BLM).  Our records indicate he filled out 3 to 5 invoices a month, every month, year after year, decade after decade.  It appears that for 22 years, every 5 to 10 days  we were brazenly  robbed. 
Calculating:  Having pulled off the largest and longest fraud in Washington State history per SAO investigators, one thing Dennis is not short on is intelligence and cunning.  Dennis was part of the church community frequented by the County employees and electeds.  Through the years he built a reputation as a generous, kind member, giving our money to people for  things like rent or burial costs.   He worked on Commissioner and Auditor campaigns managing their campaign finances, knocking on doors and giving our money as campaign donations.  He used his family by helping them get jobs in positions of trust in the Auditor and Treasure offices.  He even had a plan in case he was caught.  He transferred the family home into his wife’s name in the early 1990’s.  I even had a women come to me at my daughter’s basketball game and tell me how  back in the 1990’s he bought girl scout cookies  with what seemed like an odd check but she just assumed he had a side business:  it was a Critzer/Doyle Brother Construction check. 

Manipulative :  Aside from building a position of trust with key supervisors and county management.  Dennis used the sympathy of others to manipulate them.  When a person suspecting his crimes reported to authorities,  it resulted in an FBI investigation.  Did he come clean?  No.  He immediately used the good will he had accumulated and played on peoples’ sympathies.  Emotionally telling people, and I quote: “How many times am I going to pay for my past mistakes?”  It appears he then studied how to beat a lie detector test and headed into an interview with the FBI telling them he was reformed and “focuses on family, church, mentoring kids and other charity work, something he has done for years to re-establish his reputation” he added that he “doesn’t drink, hasn’t taken drugs in 24 years”, nor does he have a gambling problem because he limits himself to losses of $100.  He even made follow- up calls to FBI after he failed the test to continue to manipulate people.  All the while, that same year, he robbed the county of $152,000, using 3 to 5 fraudulent invoices a month, each and every month. To top it off, when the investigation was unsuccessful, he then filed a defamation lawsuit in an effort to destroy the person who tried to expose his grift and he paid his lawyers with our money.

Well managed: This crime was not done by a person gripped by the demons of addiction.  It went on for 22 years and as I have describe had way to much routine: 3 to 5 invoices a month for decades;  and planning: joining community groups, using family relationships,   working on campaigns,  transferring assets and lastly, the ugliness of intimidation through the frivolous lawsuit.
Consequences – A crime of this Magnitude is far more than a property crime:  and while the courts are quick to say its was not a violent crime, the people might argue that point

The human cost of this crime is unknowable because it never happened. Let me say it again the human cost is unknowable because it is hard to measure what never happened.  Franklin County has the 4th poorest populace in Washington state with 20+% living below the poverty line.   The average pay for a worker in the county is by one account $24K a year - an amount stolen every couple of months in this crime.  I calculated the time value of money stolen in this crime and using $14,500 per month at 7% for 22 years would amount to $9.7 million dollars today.

An article in the TCH reported on the bail being reduced in this case from $50,000 to $10,000 and quoted the judge as saying he “…. understood why his colleague initially made that decision but added that $10,000 cash or bond is fair since this is a property crime and not a violent crime against a person” . The reduced amount of bail is less than the amount of one of the hundreds of invoices submitted over the past decade.

Courage

This is where the courage comes in, because the people who approached me could hardly disagree more.  Many people were incredulous that he was allowed out to “hide and bury the money”.

On the point about property crime let me ask this:  If a person steals the wheels off of an ambulance, rendering it unable to respond to an emergency resulting in added injury or death of a citizen would you Judge call that a property crime?  Or should the the criminal have known that stealing ambulance tires are not the same as other tires?  Now what if they stole those ambulance tires over and over for 22 years?

You see Judge, this largest and longest fraud in state history changed the trajectory of Franklin County forever.  What about the deputies that weren’t hired, safety equipment that was not purchased, Mental health services that were not delivered, youth that were released early or did not get the services that they needed?  I could go on and on about what didn’t happen.

The reality for many of those that work for the county know that while government service shrank and people were laid off, he continued to steal.  The hard working employees of this county have not seen a cost of living increase in 4 years because of our financial straits. This is most certainly not a property crime but an assault on the individuals that make up this county.

Finally please begin the process here today of restoring the peoples’ faith in their local government.   This largest and longest fraud in State history has a sentence range of up to 25 years, and the AG is only recommending 15.  Why?  It’s the largest and longest fraud, shouldn’t this crime receive the top of the sentencing range? 

People asked me to speak today, but many said it won’t do any good.  There is so much cynisim, people don’t believe in their government anymore, and why should they?  If you stop at 15 years, the top of the AG request, he is out in 8 for good behavior and essentially made $350,000 a year stealing from people who make $24,000.00. That is not justice.  Have the courage to see to it that crime doesn’t pay in Franklin County WA.
For additional information regarding the Huston sentencing check out the Tri-City Herald article http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/03/27/2331438/huston-sentenced-to-16-years.html
 

The $21.47 Disallowed Meal Expenditure

  A compilation of public records communications related to the $21.47 Disallowed Meal Expenditure can be  found by clicking the following ...