State inspectors and an investigation have found that a Georgia agency unlawfully held onto millions of dollars in seized funds, spending money on Fitbits, exercise equipment and other items.
A division of the Department of Revenue also spent funds on engraved firearms and stress balls shaped like beer mugs, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Tuesday’s report from the Office of the Inspector General confirmed reporting last year by the newspaper and WSB-TV detailing how money seized in tax investigations was spent by the Department of Revenue’s Office of Special Investigations.
Spending by the Department of Revenue’s investigative division was “clearly wasteful” and “gave the appearance of extravagance,” the report found.
The department has since changed its policies and returned money to the state treasury, where it should have gone in the first place, the newspaper reported.
