BCL embezzlement: Library auditor Martinez settles for $117.5K

Blanchard Community Library has some extra holiday cash after a settlement was reached with the auditor that BCL alleged overlooked hundreds of thousands of dollars that was embezzled from the independent library over almost a decade.

The $117,500 settlement reached with longtime library auditor Arthur Martinez & Associates, Arthur Martinez, CPA according to Library Executive Director Ned Branch will help offset legal costs BCL has paid for attorney, investigative and forensic auditing fees incurred since funds were discovered missing more than two years ago.

“I am very pleased that the library pursued this and was successful in obtaining this amount in mediation,” said BCL Trustee Linda Spinks.

Spinks served as BCL Board President since shortly after her election in 2012 until earlier this month when Laura Phillips became board president.

“I really want to thank the community for their patience while the board worked to resolve the issues related to the embezzlement…we know it took a long time but it was and remains a very complex issue that the District Attorney’s Office handled ably. The community suffered…” 

Various upheavals experienced by BCL included the termination of longtime Librarian Dan Robles in April 2013, who led the library for about 30 years and, about a month later when the thefts were discovered, the termination of longtime bookkeeper Tammy Ferguson, arrested in November for suspicion of embezzling at least $450,000 over a period of years.

Branch said an initial meeting was held with Martinez attorneys in June but “We didn’t start pushing on this until October…it had been grinding on since spring.”