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Audit Shows Metro Paid For Unperformed Security

More Than $20K Billed To Taxpayers For Security

POSTED: 6:22 pm CDT May 16, 2008
UPDATED: 7:53 pm CDT May 16, 2008

A new audit shows how many days taxpayers paid Wackenhut Security guards who never really did the work.

Video - Audit: Security Workers Paid Despite Poor Attendance

And for the first time, Nancy Amons reported, evidence of guards failing to make their rounds while on the clock is seen.

According to records kept of guards coming and going from buildings, Wackenhut guards were not always where they were paid to be.

Wackenhut Security guards were assigned to guard the Metro Election Commission, which was broken into in December.

Two laptops were stolen, one of which contained the personal information of all voters registered in Davidson County.

The new audit shows that guard Brandon Murphy didn't make any rounds for six hours during the night of the Christmas Eve break-in.

The audit also found 22 different shifts between July and December where guards failed to make rounds for more than six hours. The expense added up to just more than $17,123.

The audit also identified 68 shifts in which Wackenhut billed taxpayers for guards who never reported to work. That cost totaled a $3,681 charge to taxpayers.

The Metro employee who approved Wackenhut's invoices, Bill Kostrub, has gotten his notice he'll be laid off next month. Some of the invoices that Kostrub approved are suspect, Amons reported.

In January, Channel 4 News questioned Kostrub’s relationship with Wackenhut. He used to work for the security company before he started with Metro, where he approved Wackenhut's invoices.

The head of Metro General Services made the call to lay off Kostrub. She said it had nothing to do with his job performance and that the department just had to cut staff.

The city claims that Wackenhut overbilled taxpayers $21,000, and has asked Wackenhut for more than $800,000 to cover costs related to the election commission break-in.

That figure includes $500,000 for identity theft protection for voters whose personal information was put at risk.


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