Dead Men Tell No Lies: Blatant Effort to Cover Tracks of Local Government Corruption "Exposed"

1.15.14

St. Louis Co. leaders delayed embezzlement inquiry

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) -- St. Louis County officials first learned about a multi-million dollar embezzlement committed by a high-ranking employee who later committed suicide one month before his death.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that health department officials delayed reporting their concerns to law enforcement until after Edward Mueth’s September suicide. He was scheduled to meet with the county’s chief operating officer the following day.

The county says a Mueth-owned company overcharged for laptop computers using phony invoices and a fake name. The newspaper reported that a county financial officer initially raised questions about Gateway Technical Solutions in August.

St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert McCullough was sharply critical of the delay and says Mueth’s bosses should have let police approach the employee first to help unravel the scheme and recoup taxpayer money.