La. Commissioner Suspends Four Employees

The Louisiana Department of Insurance suspended without pay for up to two weeks four department employees for allegedly padding time sheets.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, a department audit found that the four employees had signed time sheets for working hours when they were not on the job.

Acting Insurance Commissioner Robert Wooley suspended Barry Karns, head of the agency’s receivership section; John Fontenot, a department lawyer; Michael Boutwell, assistant director of business licensing; and Deborah Poirrier, a secretary. The acting commissioner took the action in response to a report by Legislative Auditor Dan Kyle that showed the employees wrongly reported a total of 29.5 hours and did not submit leave slips for the time they missed.

Reportedly, Kyle’s audit suggested a “a pattern of abuse” has continued among workers since early 2001, a result of a failure by the department to make sure that employees work full pay periods. A report issued by the auditor’s office in February 2001 showed similar results.

Wooley apparently took issue with covert actions of Kyle’s staff in conducting the audits, but asserted that he and his staff have issued memos and directives to employees on the importance of submitting accurate time sheets. Additionally, Wooley indicated the department has implemented a tougher policy to monitor work hours, time sheet approval and leave time.

The insurance department noted that the employees have been suspended without pay and all four will be docked for the time the audit said they did not work, either by losing overtime or annual leave.

Topics Louisiana