$1.3 million in printer toner stolen by former library employee, Texas authorities say
An ex-Austin Public Library employee is facing criminal charges after he was accused of stealing more than $1 million in printer toner and reselling it online over a 12-year period, authorities say.
According to a 72-page investigative report by the Office of the City Auditor, Randall Whited is accused of stealing at least $1.3 million in toner — thanks to the library’s “poor practices and procedures” — between October 2007 and July 2019.
Whited was allowed to approve his own purchases, which included buying toner that he resold online. The auditor’s office estimated that the library would “only need about $150,000 worth of toner” in the 12-year timeframe.
In addition to the toner, the report says that White also used an Austin Public Library credit card to buy $18,000 worth of electronics, including video games, and other goods for personal use.
Security footage showed Whited taking toner boxes from his worksite to his vehicle in the parking garage, the report says. The library staff said the former worker said he was delivering items to other branches, but the report says that other staff members were responsible for delivering items between branches.
“We are looking into the allegations and we will be working with the district attorney’s office to resolve the matter,” said Whited’s attorney, Bill Hines, the Statesman reported.
It was reported by KXAN that Whited, who was booked into the Hays County Jail on Sept. 22, also has five previous arrests for burglary and theft from the 1980s and 1990s.
The director of Austin Public Library, Roosevelt Weeks, responded to the investigation in a statement and will use the report to make changes, KXAN said.
“We take fraud, waste, and abuse seriously, and while participating in the investigation we began taking immediate steps to address systemic deficiencies .… We have updated our purchasing operations and strengthened internal controls to eliminate opportunities for fraud and waste,” the statement said.
The Statesman reports that the court “could treat Whited as a habitual offender and increase his minimum sentence to 25 years in prison” because of his previous theft convictions.
This story was originally published October 5, 2020 at 11:58 AM with the headline "$1.3 million in printer toner stolen by former library employee, Texas authorities say."