DA: No wrongdoing at Children's Museum
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O-D file photoAn investigation into the Children's Museum has found no evidence of wrongdoing, District Attorney Scott McNamara said today.
Elizabeth Cooper
Posted Feb. 11, 2015 at 3:00 PM
Updated Feb 12, 2015 at 8:36 AM
UTICA
Posted Feb. 11, 2015 at 3:00 PM
Updated Feb 12, 2015 at 8:36 AM
UTICA
There will be no criminal charges filed against the Children’s Museum.
Oneida County District Attorney released the results of a months long investigation into how the museum handled its finances.
“The investigation into the Children’s Museum has been completed and based on our findings, I do not see any viable charges that we can pursue before a grand jury,” DA Scott McNamara write in a release about the report.
McNamara said the investigation involved a “lengthy review of each and every banking transaction” of the Children’s Museum over the past five years.
“While our investigation revealed that there may have been some issues with record keeping and retention, we confirmed that the expenditures from the numerous bank accounts were in fact made on behalf of the museum, McNamara’s report said.
Museum Board Chairwoman Celia Domser said she was not surprised by McNamara’s findings, especially since Brown had put some of her own money into running the museum over the years.
“We knew all along that that’s what the outcome would be,” Domser said. “None of us had any doubt Marlene would be exonerated.”
The Children’s Museum’s troubles began in March of 2014 when it came to light that museum had given its Director Marlene Brown a 60 percent share of the building at 311 Main Street in compensation for back pay.
In May, the museum board split over that and other allegations of Brown’s handling of museum bank accounts and grant funds.
Chris Gordon, a former board member, brought the allegations to McNamara.
Gordon said whether or not there was wrongdoing, Brown needs to go.
“Either way, what she was doing was very unethical and any board in their right mind would terminate her,” he said.
McNamara said there were management practices at the children’s museum that opened the door for wrongdoing, but he is confident that none took place.
The museum had numerous bank accounts, but its board of directors did not have any clear oversight over them. Instead, Brown and a personal friend were signers on many of them.
“A chief executive should not be in charge of the finances,” he said. “They should always be separate people for built-in checks and balances.”
McNamara said his investigators had looked into each transaction, and did find some that initially seemed suspicious. For example, the museum purchased a television and also several gift certificates.
They checked and found a television in use at the museum, and got proof that the gift certificates had been given out at a raffle benefiting the organization.
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