A former state employee has been accused of pocketing thousands of dollars meant for a foundation he helped supervise.
Heath Hayes worked for the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services as the director of communications and deputy commissioner. He also served as a board member for connected foundation, Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives.
In an affidavit filed in the district court of Oklahoma County, Hayes was accused of taking money from the foundation. It says, during an investigation, the CFO of the Department of Mental Health and a board member of Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives discovered three unexplained transactions.
The first was a cashier's check for $17,386 endorsed by Hayes and deposited into a Bluevine bank account. The second was a $3,000 cash withdrawal also signed by Hayes. The third transaction mentioned in the affidavit was another cashier’s check for $125,000 also deposited into a Bluevine account.
When confronted, Hayes “did not deny the transactions” but investigators say he “made up excuses.” He eventually provided what “appeared to be a Bluevine bank statement showing all three transactions.” Afterwards, the affidavit says Hayes resigned in lieu of being fired, and paid back “everything but a few dollars.”
In the affidavit, the Oklahoma City Police Department investigator wrote he obtained records from Bluevine for an account under the foundation’s name with Hayes listed as the owner. The records “contradicted the fake bank statements” Hayes provided to the department.
The affidavit says other donors have voiced concerns about contributions they made, also handled by Hayes. The donations total an additional $37,500, including a $10,000 donation that appears to have been sent to Hayes’ home address.
According to court records, Hayes is charged with a felony count of embezzlement in excess of $1,000. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 and have to pay restitution.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
