Former White House supervisor charged with embezzling
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Version 0 of 1. A former White House switchboard supervisor was charged Wednesday with embezzling thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds by manipulating an employee’s time sheets. Prosecutors accuse Andrea Turk of Upper Marlboro of stealing nearly $11,000 by funneling money through an employee she supervised. Turk, 46, was director of switchboard operations at the White House, supervising 15 operators, from 2009 until she was fired in August 2013. Her duties included overseeing employee work schedules and approving overtime hours, according to federal court records filed Wednesday in Washington. The alleged thefts began in early 2012, according to an FBI affidavit, when Turk called an employee into her office for a private meeting. Turk told the employee that she was having financial troubles. She had bills to pay, according to the affidavit, and told the employee, “I’m going to need your help.” According to prosecutors, Turk altered the time sheet of the employee to reflect overtime hours the employee had not worked. The employee, identified in court records as Employee A, paid Turk a portion of the unearned overtime pay. The employee told investigators that Turk padded her time sheet as many as 20 times during a one-year period. Employee A paid Turk between $100 and $600 each time — first in cash and later through online transfers to Turk’s bank account. The case was referred to the FBI by the Office of Counsel to the President, and Turk was fired after the alleged misconduct was discovered, according to the court records, first reported by WRC-TV (Channel 4). In an interview with the FBI, Turk allegedly told investigators that she had borrowed money from her colleague. When she was unable to repay the loan, according to the affidavit, she changed the employee’s time sheet to include overtime hours the employee had not worked. The details of the case against Turk were contained in a document known as a “criminal information,” which can only be filed in felony cases with the consent of the defendant and which signals that a plea agreement is near. Turk’s attorney did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Turk was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday before a federal magistrate judge, but the hearing will be rescheduled, according to a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips. |