LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) - A former employee of the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife who stole tens of thousands of dollars of fuel was sentenced to three months in jail and must pay nearly $57,000 in restitution.
Bob Woodard had worked for the department for about 25 years and was an IT specialist in the Southwest Washington region, The Daily News reported.
Public affairs director Bruce Botka previously told the newspaper an internal investigation found Woodard had used multiple fuel cards given to different employees to make fraudulent purchases starting in 2010. Woodard, then 47, was fired in December 2017.
Woodard last week was sentenced to 90 days in jail for first-degree theft that exceeds $5,000. He was also ordered to pay $56,808 to the Department of Fish and Wildlife in restitution.
Woodard allegedly fueled vehicles and gas cans using pin codes that belonged to other employees, Botka said. The theft came to light after one employee could not find a gas card for a boat, Botka said, and the department realized the card had been used multiple times in a different part of the state.
The search for that card eventually led investigators to Woodard, as well as fraudulent purchases on other cards.
The department has since changed the fuel payment system.
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