Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClearInvestigations,
Topline: Michael Boaz, the former town manager of Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, made hundreds of unauthorized purchases on his city credit card from 2022 to 2024, including bullets and a hotel for his family vacation, according to a state audit released in May.
Boaz was fired in 2024 when the allegations first came to light. Now that a state audit confirmed the questionable purchases, he has been indicted for felony embezzlement.
Key facts: Boaz' questionable purchases totaled $18,426, much of which was spent on food. He spent $12,897 at pizzerias, barbecue restaurants, an oyster bar, Chili's, Jersey Mike's Subs and many more. He also placed 34 DoorDash orders for $1,576.
Boaz bought $2,300 worth of other items, including ammunition, a massage and a hotel for a family vacation.
Credit card records show Boaz claimed the purchases were for work meetings, but he did not provide documentation and could not remember who attended the alleged meetings, according to the audit.
All checks and balances were ignored. The town's finance officer paid Boaz' credit card bill without reviewing the transactions, and the town's board of commissioners failed to review credit card statements even though the town's credit card policy requires them to do so.
Boaz was also paid $37,936 in unused vacation leave when he resigned in 2024. The audit found that $12,804 of that payout was improper.
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Background: Pilot Mountain, population 1,500, is located about 30 miles northwest of Winston-Salem. Boaz was hired as town manager in 2019 and earned $108,000 in 2024, records show.
Summary: The town of Pilot Mountain paid for thousands of dollars in meals, bullets and travel that auditors say had no legitimate public purpose. The town also failed to follow basic oversight rules that could have prevented or caught the spending earlier.
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