Tue May 28, 2013 11:35 AM
A former law-enforcement boss at the Arizona Game and Fish Department embezzled thousands of dollars from an undercover account set up to catch wildlife poachers and should be charged with felony theft, a state police investigation concludes.
The Department of Public Safety report alleges that John G. Romero, who resigned while under investigation in early February, set up a covert bank account using his old undercover name and siphoned public money for three years before it was detected.
Investigative findings, including a request for prosecution, were submitted to Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne more than two months ago. No charges have been filed to date, and a spokeswoman for the Attorney General?s Office said she could not comment.
Romero, who could not be reached, told investigators he did not use funds for personal expenses, according to the report. But he admitted a failure to maintain records or to get payments approved, the report says.
Gary Hovatter, special assistant to the Game and Fish director, said the 22-year officer retired with full benefits.
Hovatter said a claim may be filed for recovery of the cash. He also said the matter was referred to the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, which regulates law-enforcement officers and is empowered to withdraw certification.
According to the DPS report, Game and Fish officials requested an independent probe in October after an audit of the Operation Game Thief program, designed to catch wildlife poachers. Records showed cash withdrawals by an unknown person named Greg D. Gomez. Romero had been given that pseudonym, with a matching driver?s license and Social Security card, years earlier when he worked undercover in the department's Special Operations Unit.
Game and Fish officials told DPS investigators that the fake identity was canceled in 2000 and that Romero had not worked undercover since 2004. They said Romero never received permission to resurrect the identity or create a covert bank account and never filed expense reports concerning the payouts.
The DPS report says at least $13,600 went into the ?Gomez? account, which was linked to Romero?s home address. Nearly all that money was withdrawn.
DPS investigators concluded that Romero improperly authorized his own expenses and was not challenged because the employee who issued checks ?knows not to ask any questions? about undercover operations.
State police said that most of the withdrawals by Romero took place on days when he did not work and when his personal bank account was low or empty.
The report says Romero failed to provide documentation of how the funds were used and stammered when asked to explain, as illustrated by a transcribed excerpt: ?You know, I spend it on, uh, you know, mostly it's for the uh, you know, the payment of, of, of services. Uh, use it for the, uh, the, you know, I help out other regions with, uh, with payments of, of, uh, just informant money or projects or, you know, just different things of that nature.?
Romero told investigators he kept his activity reports at home but was ?not the best bookkeeper. ? It seems like I'm playing fast and loose with this,? he added, ?and sometimes I do.?
Romero, whose salary was $65,362, wrote the Game and Fish Department's policy manuals for investigations and special operations. He was a nationally recognized expert on illegal trafficking of reptiles and served as a training officer.
Department records obtained via a public-records request show that Romero had been promoted through the ranks to a top enforcement job despite repeated disciplinary memos for failure to maintain and submit official records.
Hovatter said Game and Fish administrators have taken steps to prevent future violations of financial-accountability rules at the agency.
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