BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — An audit of the St. Mary Parish School System reported that over $200,000 allegedly embezzled by a former bookkeeper first uncovered last December has not been recovered.

In his report, which was performed by the accounting firm of Darnall, Sikes and Frederick and released Monday by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office, the independent auditor noted that school officials discovered a bookkeeper at Patterson High School had been diverting Student Activity Fund cash for her personal use.

The bookkeeper, identified by police as 65-year-old Lisa Ann Crochet Powell of Morgan City, was arrested in December on charges including false accounting, theft of more than $25,000 and malfeasance in office.

Documentation showed multiple instances of discrepancies between recorded receipts and actual deposits totaling more than $205,000 between 2020 and 2024.

No restitution has been made but the School Board has filed an insurance claim, auditors said.

In an unrelated incident, Dinah Richard, 29, of Patterson, was arrested on Dec. 13 for allegedly taking the school board’s credit card for personal use. Detectives said charges exceeded $15,000. Authorities said there is no evidence showing Powell and Richard worked together.

In its response to the audit, the school board said it has changed accounting packages at all schools with a goal of eventually being cashless at all schools.

“This new accounting program restricts capabilities of bookkeepers and only allows some
functions to be done at the Central Office/District Level,” the audit reports. “Management will also ensure that bank reconciliations are received every month from all schools. Schools will be held accountable when bank reconciliations are not prepared timely. Additionally, the School Board has a new employee who is reviewing 100% of fundraiser reconciliations as well as gate receipts.”

In addition, the auditor found the School Board failed to amend the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund budget as required when actual revenues fell short of budgeted revenues by more than 5%. The board also failed to include specific required provisions in contracts related to federal awards.

“Management was under the impression that the budget was to be prepared by grant period rather than for the fiscal year,” the audit said. “The School Board should monitor revenues and costs for each fund and amend the budgets when actual revenues are less than the budgeted amounts by more than five percent or when actual costs are more than the budgeted amounts by more than five percent.”

According to the audit, St. Mary Parish operated 22 schools within the parish with a total enrollment of 7,520 pupils in the 2023-24 school year.

Read the entire audit report here.

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