Matthew Lynn, a former finance department employee of the Upper Cumberland Development District, stole at least $16,566 from the agency in November and December 2014, a special investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury found.
The investigation was done in conjunction with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, according to a news release from the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.
Investigators determined Lynn had kept the proceeds of 33 fraudulent district checks that he generated and transacted. The scheme involved creating and printing checks made payable to legitimate agency vendors. Lynn also fabricated invoices and submitted them, along with the checks, for management’s review and approval, investigators found.
They concluded Lynn used the checks for his own benefit after the signed checks were returned to him for delivery to the vendors. Examples of the checks can be found in the comptroller’s report.
In March 2016, Lynn pleaded guilty on an information to one count of theft over $1,000. He also has paid $16,566.85 in restitution to the Upper Cumberland Development District.
“I am concerned about any theft of public money,” Comptroller Justin P. Wilson said. “Our investigators recommended that [the development district] improve its financial processes, and I’m pleased to note that agency leaders have corrected the situation.”