GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — The Board of Education at Grand Haven Area Public Schools (GHAPS) voted to release its forensic audit into the alleged embezzlement involving a former assistant superintendent.
Brian Wheeler was accused in late 2021 of embezzling close to $1 million from the school district since 2014.
Wheeler pleaded no contest before he died in custody early the following year.
READ MORE: Former Grand Haven assistant superintendent found dead at the Ottawa County Jail
GHAPS says the Board approved a motion to waive the district’s attorney-client confidentiality on the complete audit into the investigation for the sake of transparency.
“We’re listening to our community, and they’re telling us that they need more transparency from us,” says Board President Christine Baker. “Though we released a summery [sic] of the report a year ago, we hope that sharing Plante Moran’s full report will bring closure and demonstrate our commitment to rebuilding the community’s trust and confidence.”
We’re told no evidence was found to suggest Wheeler collaborated with other GHAPS employees in the scheme or that anyone knew what was happening.
The audit report confirms $944,410 was stolen using invoices from a fake company named Infinity Electrical, school officials say. Another $150,521.66 may have been embezzled with invoices from another entity called Business Office System Support.
The district notes the audit could not include personal accounts or explain a motive for the alleged crime, nor could it show what happened to the missing funds.
GHAPS says more safeguards were added in June 2022 to strengthen its financial security in light of the investigation. Those include stricter verification processes for vendors, more cross-training with employees and more.
“We are stewards of the funds provided by taxpayers,” says Superintendent Scott Grimes. “Everyone involved in our financial operations is using the results of the forensic audit to improve our processes. We can’t change the past, but we can work to keep it from happening again.”
Read the complete audit report below:
Plante Moran Report - Waived Privilege Unredacted by WXMI on Scribd
