FBI asked to investigate Dallas County Jail Inmate Trust Fund
More than $600,000 in Dallas County Jail inmates’ commissary funds may have been stolen and the FBI has been asked to figure out who is responsible.
The issue is money that inmates place in accounts at the county jail for purchase of items from the jail store.
At a meeting Tuesday, officials told Dallas County Commissioners that a Sheriff’s Department employee discovered improprieties that spanned a period of six years from 2015 to 2021.
The County Auditor found 306 inmate debit cards totaling $699,993 were issued in excess of the inmates’ trust fund balances.
A vendor for the program returned $97,390.79 with a check to the county on July 27, 2021. The rest of the money remains missing.
Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia said she found several findings from the audit troublesome.
“One thing that I have great concern is the access to inactive inmate accounts. That means that when an inmate leaves, people can continue to conduct transactions on inactive accounts,” Garcia said.
Questions about Dallas County Jail Commissary money have risen in the past.
Commissioner John Wiley Price said other problems occurred before Sheriff Marian Brown was in office and that she has been working to address them.
Brown said changes have already been made as the investigation continues.
