An employee of a utility regulator who discovered that 'the whereabouts of 20 billion yen are missing' is to be dismissed
Alice Stevins, who worked for the California Public Works Commission (CPUC), which regulates utilities in California, USA, is supposed to be collected from companies for $ 200 million (about 20 billion yen). He was dismissed from the state when he reported that he was missing. The uncollected money was supposed to be used for aid programs for the hearing impaired, the deafblind and the poor.
She Noticed $ 200 Million Missing, Then She Was Fired — ProPublica
CPUC was founded in the early 20th century to regulate railroads, and as of 2020 it is under surveillance by a variety of companies, including electricity and gas, telcos, water companies, and transportation companies, including Uber. However, in recent years, it has been pointed out that CPUC has adhered to these companies, and in 2010, the gas pipe in San Francisco burst due to CPUC's failure to monitor, 30 houses collapsed and 8 people died. It became a situation to do.
Alice Stevins, who was hired as Executive Director in 2018, has been an auditor and budget analyst in various states for over 30 years. As Executive Director of the CPUC, Stepvins first conducted extensive audits of departments and accounting practices within the organization, as well as special programs to serve the disabled and poor in California.
In this, Stevins dismissed a representative of the water sector, which oversees 110 water facilities owned by investors. These facilities are used by 6.3 million citizens, but the water department did not even have the basic contact information for the facility. In addition, as a result of the audit, it was found that the employees of the water supply department did not visit the site as they should, and even if they did, the inspection was completed in a short time and was insufficient. In addition, even if the facility did not comply with the regulations and the violation continued, it was not summoned. The water department 'wasn't working,' Stevens told an interview.
Stevins also said that CPUC had not collected its debt and had an outstanding amount of $ 49.9 million at the end of 2019. This breakdown includes fines in excess of $ 12 million, telecommunications fines in excess of $ 22 million, and redemption contracts in excess of $ 14 million. Will be.
In addition, Stepvins hired a former colleague Bernard Azevedo as director of management services in early 2019. Mr. Azevedo, who has been active as an accountant for 30 years, immediately started the investigation. The study raises the possibility that CPUC actually has more debt than official records, as it has 'self-reported' the debt of companies under surveillance. Ultimately, Azevedo estimated that in addition to the $ 49 million initially identified, the companies under his supervision owed more than $ 150 million to CPUC. These uncollected money would have been used for aid programs for people with disabilities and the poor.
Stepvins, who reported the situation, was subsequently fired for 'hiring a former colleague who did not have the proper qualifications.' In response to Mr. Stephens, who hired a lawyer and disputed him, CPUC claimed that Mr. Stephens and his lawyer 'misunderstood the state's accounting system and how it was made, and made false allegations based on that misunderstanding.'
However, the Bay City News Foundation, which handles public news in the San Francisco Bay Area, and ProPublica, a non-profit independent news agency, said, 'Surveys have shown that Stephens' claim is correct.' A few days before Stevens was dismissed, CPUC staff discovered the existence of more than $ 200 million in debt, and financial institutions have already begun investigating. It has also been found that the report on which Stevins was dismissed contained falsehoods. And Mary Bellbadger, who decided to dismiss Stevens, argued with a colleague about Stepbbing's report through a messaging app, 'This is ridiculous!' 'She can't stay here.' It has also been pointed out that this violates state law that 'prohibits discussions outside of regular meetings on issues under its jurisdiction.'
In addition, Mr. Stevins is in the process of preparing a proceeding on this matter at the time of writing the article.
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