State auditors has found more than $115,000 in fraudulent payments and purchases were made by former leaders of a tiny Missouri town that drew widespread attention last year when two mysterious fires burned records that were sought for the audit. State Auditor Nicole Galloway said Wednesday that the examination of Parma, a southeastern Missouri town of about 700, looked at the four-year period that Tyus Byrd served as mayor. Byrd lost her reelection bid in April 2019. The audit found improper payments to Byrd and the former city clerk, and improper expenditures for things such as gift cards and appliances.
The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.