Checking the flow of cash in the Wake register of deeds office
Prior to January 2017, most cash in the Wake County Register of Deeds office flowed directly to Laura Riddick without the amounts being documented, according to an internal memo that describes the office’s cash-flow procedures.
An internal audit found that bank deposits during 2015 and 2016 were $600,000 below what should have been generated by the office’s transactions.
In January, officials tried to pin down the source of the discrepancies by counting the cash before delivering it to Riddick, who was on medical leave and not aware of the new procedures.
Here’s how the new plan worked:
A supervisor counted the cash before it was taken to Riddick. The supervisor reported the count separately to the information technology manager and gave the cash to another employee to deliver to Riddick. This employee, the regular courier of cash to Riddick, has admitted to stealing $50,000 and is cooperating with investigators.
Riddick counted the money in her office and gave it to a deputy, who checked Riddick’s count. A third employee then prepared the money for bank deposit.
The new procedure is in place while Laura Riddick in not in the office. Bank deposits were slightly over on two days ($41 and $54) and short on the other two days ($14 and $63).
Riddick returns to work. Her cash was $200 short. The technology director asks the supervisor for the exact count of cash sent to Riddick in the future.
Riddick's cash count is exactly $300 short of the earlier count by the supervisor.
Riddick is not at work. The regular courier does not carry the cash. The supervisor's cash count and the final count are identical.
Riddick returns. In addition to counting the cash, the supervisor records the denomination of the currency. Riddick's count is $700 short – two $100 bills and 25 $20 bills.
The staff stops using the regular courier for the next three days. Riddick's count is $780 short ‑ 39 $20 bills are missing.
Riddick's count is $600 short – one $100 bill and 25 $20 bills.
Riddick's count is $800 short – 40 $20 bills.
The regular courier carries the cash to Riddick, whose count is $600 short – one $100 and 25 $20 bills.
Source: Memo on cash-handling procedures from Wake Register of Deeds office
This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Checking the flow of cash in the Wake register of deeds office."