NOGALES, Ariz. (KVOA) — A former Santa Cruz County Treasurer is in hot water.
The county bank had notified authorities that suspicious transfers had been made while she was working there.
The FBI is trying to determine why the wire transfer was made from JPMorgan Chase, a Santa Cruz County bank, of which the county had no records.
“When I found out what was going on, I was totally shocked,” Santa Cruz County Mayor Manny Lewis said.
Lewis is shocked that all of this happened during the time Elizabeth Gutfer served as treasurer, a role that also included access to and protection of the county's funds.
“At that point, we met with the county administrator, we met with the county attorney,” Lewis said, “and we found out that there were wire transfers that were being sent to consulting companies that were not affiliated with the companies that we were doing business with.”
Lewis said the next step was to ensure that Gutfer and her office could not access those accounts, and at one point the bank froze nearly all of the county's accounts.
“This would have been bad because it happened during payroll week. Bills have to be paid,” Lewis said.
That happened on April 3rd, and five days later a supervisors meeting was announced for April 15th, at which time the supervisors were scheduled to suspend Gutfer, but she resigned on April 11th.
“I think she's responsible. I think she took the money,” said a Santa Cruz County resident who asked not to be named.
Santa Cruz County residents are outraged that this happened under the governance of a woman who has held the position for more than a decade.
“You never think that someone like that would do something like that,” the unidentified man said.
“(She) was a good member of our community. A trustworthy person, a businesswoman. Ultimately, it's a big shock,” Lewis said.
The county has requested an audit investigation of Gatfal's accounts, but it is unclear how long the unrecorded wire transfers have been occurring.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has selected current County Administrator Juan Valdez as interim Treasurer.
Supervisors are looking for candidates to serve the remainder of Elizabeth's term who are at least 18, have a background in finance and are registered Democrats.
Interviews for potential applicants are scheduled for May 6th.
A former Santa Cruz County Treasurer is in hot water.
