According to the NY Times, the outgoing State Senate Majority Leader and his son has been indicted for pilfering some $500,000 from the nonprofit he founded.
The indicted reportedly used the money for purpose ranging from the odd which:
included pony rides and a petting zoo for a family member’s birthday party to a $49,000 check the senator attempted to use as a down payment on a Bentley.
They also included, according to prosecutors, the elder Espada using Soundview’s corporate American Express card to pay for his personal expenses. Among the charges were more than $100,000 worth of meals for him and his family, window treatments for his home, and tickets to Broadway shows and sporting events.
For me the ability of anyone to steal at these levels is clearly an indicator of weak internal systems and oversight with few or no checks and balances. Admittedly this theft took place over a 4 year period but it's hard for me to believe that someone didn't notice $500,000 missing from the accounts.
While the thief must indeed be punished (ie. find a way to give back the money), the agency and all those who are responsible for monitoring and noticing such losses should also be held accountable, right up to the Board which is where the buck, or in this case, the loss, must stop.