Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced on Oct. 1 that a state grand jury indicted Celestia “Celest” Ziemkowski following an investigation performed by the Office of the Auditor General.
Ziemkowski, the former business manager for Valley Academy for Career and Technical Education, was indicted on charges of fraudulent schemes and artifices, violation of duties of a custodian of public monies, fraudulent schemes and practices, theft, forgery and computer tampering for allegedly using her position to steal approximately $30,500 of VACTE funds.
The AG’s Office alleges that between June 9, 2015, and Feb. 11, 2016, Ziemkowski made $10,746 in fraudulent charges on the
VACTE charge card and presented forged statements to conceal the charges.
The investigation into Ziemkowski was made in conjunction with the OAG.
“Our investigation revealed that from June 2015 through March 2016, Celestia Ziemkowski, former business manager, may have embezzled VACTE monies when she issued five unauthorized warrants totaling $19,851 for her personal purposes and used a VACTE credit card to make personal purchases totaling $10,746,” the Auditor General wrote in its financial investigation report. “Ms. Ziemkowski may have also falsified VACTE documents and information in VACTE’s accounting software and Governing Board packets to conceal her actions.”
The Auditor General’s office presented its findings to a grand jury on June 24, making the case that Ziemkowski had embezzled a total of $30,597. The indictment charges Ziemkowski with a total of 19 felony criminal counts:
- 1 count of fraudulent schemes and artifices, a class 2 felony
- 1 count of violation of duties of a custodian of public monies, a class 4 felony
- 4 counts of theft as a class 3 felony,
- 1 count of theft as a class 4 felony
- 1 count of theft as a class 6 felony
- 3 counts of forgery, a class 4 felony n3 counts of fraudulent schemes and practices, a class 5 felony
- 5 counts of computer tampering, a class 4 felony
Ziemkowski resigned in May 2016 after a VACTE employee questioned her about certain credit card purchases.
VACTE reported fraud allegations to the OAG, whose report states that VACTE officials “took appropriate action by reporting a fraud allegation to us.”
“As they were going through some files with current staff they did find some of these inconsistencies,” VACTE Superintendent Bob Weir said. Weir only started in his position in July, but said that much of the documentation and involvement in the investigation happened under an Interim Superintendent Lisa Aragon in April and May.
Weir said that since dealing with the investigation, VACTE has implemented stricter controls of accountability on spending, in order to prevent something like this from happening again.
“We’re a small business so there’s only so much checks and balances you can get as you read the recommendations, but we’ve done everything they’ve recommended,” Weir said. “We’ve put a lot of checks and balances in place. Different people approve different things, different people approve credit cards.
“Not one person has full control of creating a purchase order, or processing it, approving it, getting the checks written from the county, collecting the checks, giving out — that’s all changed. That was a one-person deal. Now that’s about three different hands, four different hands, including the county.”
Weir hopes that some of the money taken from the school district will be returned, though he does not know what will happen as a result of the prosecution.
Lois Lamer, who was superintendent of VACTE while Ziemkowski was employed by the school district, did not respond to requests for contact.
VACTE is a tuition-free public career and technical high school district in the Verde Valley that provides training in areas such as fire service, nursing assistant and welding to high school students and homeschooled students in Sedona, Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Clarkdale, Jerome and unincorporated communities in the Verde Valley.
Assistant Attorney General Mary Harriss is prosecuting the case.
