OGDEN -- An investigation is under way regarding a significant sum of money missing from the Ogden chapter of a union that represents about 2,000 local Internal Revenue Service employees.
Officers with the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 67 recently sent a memo to members informing them of the investigation.
"Unfortunately, chapter funds have been discovered missing," says the memo obtained by the Standard-Examiner.
"The full extent of the loss is unknown, but it appears to be significant. Since discovering the loss, we have been working to secure all chapter resources. We are also doing everything in our power to recoup the losses."
In a statement released Tuesday, Colleen M. Kelley, the NTEU's national president, said the organization is concerned about the missing funds.
"NTEU views any alleged breach of fiduciary responsibilities to be serious, and is working to take all possible corrective measures," she said.
"We have sent a letter to every chapter member to inform them of the situation and held a member meeting to answer questions. We will continue to communicate with our members as the situation develops."
A man answering the phone at the Chapter 67 headquarters declined to give his name and said he could not talk about the investigation. However, he said numerous agencies have been notified and about 2,000 local IRS employees are members of the chapter.
The Ogden Police Department has no record of being asked by the chapter to investigate the missing funds, said Police Chief Jon Greiner.
Debbie Dujanovic, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Salt Lake City, said she could neither confirm nor deny the FBI is investigating.
Dina Long, a spokeswoman for the NTEU national organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., declined to answer questions from the Standard-Examiner regarding how much money is missing, as well as when and how the losses were discovered.
"Since the matter is under investigation, we have been advised by authorities not to comment further," she said in an e-mail.
Chapter 67 officers said in the memo to members that the chapter's financial records have been turned over to an independent auditor for a thorough examination to determine the exact amount of the losses.
NTEU is bonded and insured, so the chapter has submitted a claim to recoup the missing money.
The chapter is also working closely with the NTEU field office in Denver and national headquarters in Washington, D.C., to address the situation and is implementing additional financial accountability measures to ensure there are no recurrences.
"As chapter leaders, we take our responsibilities seriously," says the memo to chapter members. "We understand it is your dues money we are entrusted with, and we are working diligently to uncover the extent of the loss, determine how that loss occurred and do all we can to correct the situation."
The memo states the chapter has appointed a new treasurer.
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