Friday, May. 29, 2009

Archive: Bishop’s wife received son-in-law’s pay

Marshal’s office internal audit shows $7,275 diverted

Originally published March 6, 2009

An internal audit of the Muscogee County Marshal’s Office shows that Vivian Creighton Bishop, wife of U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, received more than $7,000 in pay intended for her son-in-law.

According to records obtained through Georgia’s Open Records Act, Stephen M. Reese was paid $7,275 before taxes during a seven-month period from November 2007 until July 2008 as an assistant for the Junior Marshal’s program, which is funded in part by a federal grant secured by the congressman.

The money paid to Reese was direct-deposited into a Columbus Bank and Trust Co. account in the name of Vivian Creighton Bishop, city records show. A canceled check from Creighton Bishop’s CB&T account is on file in the city’s human resources department. The canceled check was used to start the direct deposit.

Creighton Bishop is the clerk of Columbus Municipal Court.

The Marshal’s Office is under a Georgia Bureau ofInvestigation inquiry requested by Marshal Greg Countryman. His request came after a city auditor raised concerns about part-time pay received in 2008-2009 by Creighton Bishop’s daughter — who isBishop’s step-daughter — and the city was preparing to notify the GBI, City Attorney Clifton Fay said.

“I have sought legal counsel, and they suggested I not comment until the investigation is over,” Creighton Bishop said Wednesday afternoon.

She said she had not retained an attorney but talked to a friend who is a lawyer. She declined to name that friend.

Congressman Bishop said it was “an awkward situation for all of us.”

“I was not aware of a direct deposit of any sort until yesterday,” he said Wednesday afternoon.

The representative said his wife has a separate account at CB&T and that his only account at CB&T is his campaign fund. He said his wife’s name is on his personal accounts with another bank.

Bank account information was redacted from the records obtained from the city.

City Internal Auditor John Redmond began an inquiry into payroll records in the marshal’s office after an audit Feb. 19. About a week later, more digging by Redmond revealed the payments to Creighton Bishop.

Redmond said the money was deposited into Creighton Bishop’s account. “That has been confirmed through Human Resources and payroll,” Redmond said Wednesday.

Redmond said the bank account information is being turned over to the GBI.

“They are picking it up today,” he said Wednesday morning.

Fay, whose office responded to the Ledger-Enquirer’s Open Records Act request, confirmed Redmond’s findings.

“That appears to be where it goes,” he said.

The Junior Marshal Program, started by Countryman in 2005 as an outreach to at-risk children, is funded in part by a $118,000 federal appropriation that Bishop helped secure in 2008.

Countryman said he did not know that Stephen Reese’s pay was deposited into Creighton Bishop’s bank account.