An Arkansas county worker paid her bills, bought Arkansas Razorbacks tickets and purchased a dog tuxedo using taxpayer funds, investigators said.
Former Garland County administrative assistant Kristi Lyn Goss, 43, was arrested Tuesday on six felony fraud charges after investigators said she had bilked taxpayers for $200,000, The Sentinel-Record of Hot Springs reported.
Garland County Judge Rick Davis fired Goss after his financial staff alerted him to “irregularities with the county credit card” in May, Davis said in a statement to the local newspaper.
“I hope for swift justice in this situation and hope a message has been sent to all that any and all misconduct and noncompliance with county policy and the law will not be tolerated and appropriate actions will always be taken to bring justice,” Davis said.
Investigators flagged charges for electric and water bills, car payments, cellphone bills, real estate taxes and student meals at a local school district in personal purchases dating back to October 2012, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by United Press International.
Goss’ other personal charges included a $128 diamond bracelet from Bradford Exchange, $87 sequin throw pillows from Etsy and over $1,850 in gift cards from Hotels.com, investigators said. An agent with the state police said she also used county funds to buy pet insurance.
Other county employees noticed back in May that Goss had ordered a tuxedo for her Pug from Amazon around the time her children were attending their high school prom, according to the state police agent. The tickets for the Razorbacks, who play their home games around 180 miles to the north in Fayetteville, added up to $975, court documents showed.
The other county employees brought the dog tuxedo and other questionable purchases to her boss’ attention, investigators said. Goss had worked for the county as an administrative assistant since 2004 until her termination in May.
Goss posted a $50,000 bond to secure her release following the arrest Tuesday, the Sentinel-Record reported. Her charges of fraudulent use of a credit card carry between three and 20 years in prison for each of her six counts.
Goss cracked open her door to tell KATV that her attorney advised her not to comment when a reporter visited her home Wednesday. A Razorback logo adorned her front door, and a dog barked at the reporter from inside the home.
“I’m so sorry, I can’t talk,” she said.
With News Wire Services.