Former Crystal Laker Busts Joplin Suburb’s Treasurer

$325,000 of taxpayers’ money is missing from Joplin, MO, suburb Leawood.

So what?

That’s the location of the Hotel Desmond and my brother-in-law Denny Desmond heads its board of trustees.

The village has about 1,000 people, so $325,000 is significant amount.

And, that’s just what Desmond discovered missing from 2002 through 2008.

Another $673,534 is “unaccounted for” before that date, according to an article in the Joplin Globe.

Long-time Treasurer Gene “Paul” Boyd resigned in October when Desmond, a CPA, confronted him.

Boyd told his employer, Empire District Electric Company, that he had been stealing for the village for over two decades.

My brother-in-law tells me he thinks Boyd stole about a million dollars.

“Our actual revenues in 2007 were $79,000 and actual expenses were $22,000 for a $57,000 surplus,” he emailed me. “He understated our revenues by about 50% and overstated our expenses.”

“In 2007 he stole $60,000 and 2008 stole only $45,000 (because he was caught in October). He showed a surplus of $15.000 to $20,000 per year.”


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