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Disappearance of Youngstown credit cards prompts change in security protocol
YOUNGSTOWN
The purported theft of one city credit card and the disappearance of another, both from the finance department, are causing a unique change in protocol — at least for the time-being.
Finance Director David Bozanich said if city credit cards are left in offices in his department, employees are being asked to take their garbage cans out of their offices and put them in the hallway, and lock their office doors. Those employees would then be responsible for cleaning their own offices, Bozanich said.
“I’ve been doing that for 20 years,” he said.
The city credit card of Rick Deak, the city’s chief information officer, was stolen from his desk while the card of Kyle Miasek, deputy finance director, is missing.
Anthony McDowell, 40, of Carlotta Avenue in Youngstown, who worked for American Maintenance Services, which cleans city hall, was charged with felony charges of theft and misuse of a credit card. Police say McDowell is accused of taking Deak’s city credit card a few weeks ago, and using it to buy $900 worth of alcohol and clothes. McDowell admits taking the card that was used for the charges, but not the one that’s missing, according to city Prosecutor Dana Lantz.
Mayor John A. McNally said the city will develop a more formal policy. The cards will be kept “in a more secure environment than an employee’s desk [even if the door is locked]. Sometimes we get forgetful and careless. We have to pay more attention. Office spaces are not bank vaults. We get a little sloppy about things.”
The finance department has a safe that it has used in the past to store credit cards, but Bozanich didn’t indicate that was a likely option.
“It’s unfortunate that this occurred,” Bozanich said. “Credit cards are to be on a person or under the control of the finance department. They were behind two locked doors.”
Bozanich acknowledged the cleaning crew has the ability to unlock those doors.
The cards “were taken out of personal desk drawers,” he added. “Yes, of course, the drawers should be locked. They either weren’t locked, were in desks that are older with keys that don’t work or in a locked desk drawer. Locked drawers can be easily opened. But it’s important to note that no government funds were lost.”
This isn’t the first problem with city credit cards.
There were about $4,000 worth of questionable charges on then-Councilwoman Carol Rimedio-Righetti’s city credit card in 2006. She said at the time that the city was the victim of credit-card fraud.
Over the years, there have been problems with council members using city credit cards for personal use or without prior permission of council’s finance committee, a requirement since 2004.