Working overtime is something that we all experience at least once.
There can be individuals who take advantage of this concept through, claiming additional hours that were not actually worked. Police officers can often work longer hours, but in the case of the Bethany Beach Police Department there were hundreds of overtime hours claimed by two officers that were not truly worked.
According to court documents, Mr. Michael Redmon and Mr. Darin Cathell allegedly spent years claiming to work overtime shifts that they did not work. Mr. Redmon, as the chief of the department, allegedly claimed 760 hours and $81,890 in misappropriated funds. Mr. Cathell as the second-in-command of the department, allegedly claimed at least 800 hours amounting to $67,970. A portion of the monies were federal grant funds. Embezzlement can occur even in the most unlikely places.
The position of both principals within their department likely made it easier to conceal the theft as they acted in collusion. This highlights the importance of segregation of duties, which increases the likelihood that false claims of hours worked will raise red flags and schemes like this are uncovered sooner.
Photo by Holafabiola
