Former Austin Public Library Employee Stole $1.5M In Printer Toner & Resold Online
An Austin, Texas city auditor’s new findings says a former Austin Public Library (APL) employee fraudulently bought and stole $1.5 million in printer toner, then stored it all in his garage and resold the items online.
According to an October 2020 investigative report by the City of Austin’s auditor office, APL accounting associate II Randall Whited misused a library credit card to buy electronics and home goods for personal use (about $15,000 worth), plus at least $1.5 million worth of printer toner. Whited’s role at APL was to make and approve purchases, track cash receipts, billing, and other accounting transactions — instead, he used the APL’s credit card to buy personal items and used other City cards to buy over $140,000 other items between February 2017 and July 2019.
While White resigned in August 2019, in lieu of being fired for “an unrelated issue,” the city’s auditor’s office received a tip in March 2019, accusing Whited of the “potentially criminal nature of his actions.” In the city auditor’s report, Whited bought $1.5 million in toner between October 2007 and July 2019, a period which should’ve only seen a total of $150,000. The office says it’s almost impossible to track how much he profited from the sales. At this moment, the findings have been reported to the Austin Police Department, where an investigation and arrest looks to happen.
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