DONALDSONVILLE — Between September and December 2023, nearly $40,000 in public funds were stolen from the Ascension Parish government, an independent audit released Monday said.

The audit, released by the Legislative Auditor's Office, public funds were reported stolen 22 times, totaling $39,469.

All but one of the thefts were discovered by parish officials. It was discovered after a vendor inquired about a balance due, the report said.

One of the thefts, totaling $17,029, happened when an external party intercepted and altered a physical check disbursed by the parish, the report said. This is a practice known as check washing.

The other thefts were caused by unauthorized electronic drafts from the parish's operating account.

The parish was reimbursed for all of the missing funds. The auditor also found that the parish failed to comply with its water disconnection policy for two industrial customers that had outstanding balances totaling $63,222 and failed to adopt an itemized, ranked listing of road projects for the first fiscal year of a three-year program. This is required by the Parish Transportation Act.