KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A former Kansas City, Missouri, water services employee was charged in Clay County this week after an investigation revealed he used his city-issued credit card to make $215,000 in purchases from a company owned by his sister.
Steven Berry, 49, faces one count of felony stealing in excess of $25,000.
Court documents filed in support of the charges detail an investigation by the KCMO City Auditor’s office in April 2021. The audit flagged 67 transactions made by Berry, who as electrical superintendent was in charge of all electrical equipment maintenance at 14 KC Water pump stations across the city.
The transactions covered a period between November 2018 and April 2021. Sixty-five of the transactions authorized payment to vendors that were not on the city’s authorized vendor list. Auditors traced the transactions and found they were all made to Coale Electric LLC. A business search of the company revealed it was co-owned by Berry’s sister.
Such payment violated the city’s policies on procurement card usage.
In July 2022, the city attorney’s office reported the results of the city’s investigation to the Kansas City Police Department’s Economic Crimes Unit.
Once in the hands of KCPD, detectives questioned two city employees who were required to sign-off on Berry’s purchases. One of the employees said he signed off on the purchase requests without looking at them and never verified the city received the equipment the purchases were made for. The employee told investigators he wondered how Berry could afford some of his stuff.
Berry was ordered to appear in court for an initial appearance on the charges on Jan. 9, 2024.
In a statement, Kansas City Press Secretary Sherae Honeycutt said that Berry is no longer employed by the city.
"While the city does not comment on pending litigation, we will, as always, cooperate with investigators," Honeycutt said in an e-mail to KSHB 41.
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