Monday, August 24th 2009, 7:00 pm
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The former CASA board chairman is speaking out after the director who used to be in charge of the organization was indicted on 152 counts of embezzlement and conspiracy.
Former CASA Director Anna Naukum and her husband were indicted last week, accused of embezzling more than $500,000.
After the indictments were made public some people began to question the checks and balances at the organization charged with helping abused and neglected children.
Former Board member Scott Mitchell said the indictment and arrest of Naukam would not have occurred had the board of directors not investigated "questionable practices."
"The people that are there today, the people that took action last fall and fired an employee, were from the very beginning looking in to how everything operated as that organization," Mitchell said.
Mitchell, a political analyst for NEWS 9, served as a CASA board member for four years and chairman for two additional years. It was during his six-year association with the group that board members started looking into Naukum's management of the organization and its finances.
"This board was very, very inquisitive, very suspicious and they moved forward," Mitchell said.
Board members later notified authorities of their findings.
Even though Naukam and her husband were indicted, the investigation is still on-going. But the CASA's interim director is looking ahead.
"We're ready to move past all this and focus 100 percent on our mission which is abused and neglected children," Interim CASA Director Sheryl Marseilles said.
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