A former Austin Public Library employee has been arrested after being accused of stealing and selling at least $1.3 million in printer toner. This allegedly took place over a 12-year period.
In an investigative report, the Office of the City Auditor found that the Kyle resident, Randall Whited, fraudulently bought and stole the printer toner and then sold it online.
The report also claims that Whited used an Austin Public Library credit card to buy home goods and electronics for personal use.
According to the report, the library's "poor practices and procedures provided an opportunity for Whited to steal from the city during his tenure." He was allowed to approve his own purchases and had little oversight from his supervisors.
Whited allegedly purchased "at least $1.5 million" worth of toner from October 2007 to July 2019 for the library. The auditor's office estimated the library only would have needed only about $150,000 worth of toner.
He also allegedly used library credit cards to buy at least $18,000 worth of items for personal use, $15,000 of which were consumer electronics like video games, VR headsets, a drone, and robotic vacuum cleaners.
Whited was arrested and booked into Hays County Jail on theft charges.
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