LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Inspector General of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) today released a report on the results of an investigation into an LACCD staff member producing and selling counterfeit I-TAP cards on Craigslist.
The I-TAP Program is a low-cost transit pass program that allows students to purchase a six-month pass to the Metro system for $15. It was initiated to satisfy an environmental impact report (EIR) mitigation requirement to offset an expected increase in student parking on streets and around campuses during construction of new facilities. The District agreed with Metro to subsidize the I-TAP Program. Sales of the passes were typically handled through the Campus Business Office.
In November 2010, Metro requested the District compare its sales of data for I-TAP cards with its inventory of card blanks at the various campuses. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) was made aware of fraudulent activity in December 2010. The OIG was informed that the Sheriffs Department had been contacted to help with the investigation and that the individual had been identified, arrested, found guilty and sentenced to 36 months probation.
This is one of a series of audits, investigations and reports that will be distributed by the Office of the Inspector General over the next several months.
The full report can be found at www.laccd-oig.org.
About the Los Angeles Community College District
The Los Angeles Community College District, the nation’s largest community college district, serves on-quarter million students per year in more than 36 cities in Los Angeles County at its nine colleges. The District covers nearly 900 square miles and has educated and trained the region’s diverse workforce since 1969.
About the LACCD Building Program
LACCD’s Building Program is a 14-year, $6 billion program funded mostly by taxpayer-approved bonds, supplemented by additional funding from the state of California. With approximately $3 billion spent so far, the LACCD’s nine colleges are benefiting from brand new and renovated academic buildings, sports facilities, arts complexes, administrative buildings, child development centers and parking structures. The Building Program has completed hundreds of separate projects, with hundreds more in the planning or construction stages. For more information on the LACCD’s construction program and a list of awards the District has received for its environmentally responsible projects, visit www.laccdbuildsgreen.org.
About the Office of the Inspector General
The Office of the Inspector General serves the Los Angeles Community College District by providing timely independent and objective Bond Program audits and investigations to prevent waste, fraud and abuse while upholding characteristics that demonstrate integrity, trust and communication. The Office of the Inspector General is an extension of the eyes, ears, voice and conscience of the Los Angeles Community College District, the Board of Trustees, LACCD staff, faculty, students, contractors and the Los Angeles community as a whole.