The mayor of Utah's most populous county was charged Tuesday with two felonies for allegedly using public money to hire an employee to work for her daughter at a private, nonprofit group.
The two charges mean Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman will be placed on paid administrative leave. The county, which includes Salt Lake City, has about 925,000 people.
Last week, a bipartisan panel of four prosecutors from neighboring counties said they'd found "sufficient credible evidence" to charge Workman with misusing $17,000 in taxpayer funds.
Workman has acknowledged using the Health Department money to hire a bookkeeper for the Boys and Girls Club, where her daughter is a chief financial officer, but has said she did nothing criminal because it was the right thing "to help those kids."
The charges include a second-degree felony which carries between one and 15 years in prison and a third-degree charge which carries zero to five years.
Salt Lake County District Attorney David Yocom, a Democrat who has clashed with the Republican Workman, turned over the investigation to the panel, which found charges against the mayor warranted, but left to Yocom the decision on whether to prosecute.
"It's always difficult to charge a public official with any wrongdoing. However, under Utah law and the rules of professional conduct, my responsibilities of district attorney are clear," Yocom said.
Workman has been defiant since reports of the alleged misuse of money emerged, saying there was no criminal intent in her actions. She dismissed any mistakes as a "procedural problem," and has accused Yocom of playing politics by ordering an investigation after a whistleblower came forward.
She has also said it was within the county's purview to help groups like the Boys and Girls Club, and county money has funded similar ventures before.
Workman did not immediately return calls seeking comment Tuesday, but said last week after the panel announced its findings, "We're going to prevail in this little deal with the DA's office."
The bookkeeper has been referred to as a "phantom employee," who reported directly to Workman and whose timesheets were signed by Workman.
According to the criminal complaint, Workman signed them as "Health Department Time and Attendance Reports," even though no work was ever performed for the Health Department.
Charging documents further allege that Workman never mentioned the employee would be working for the Boys and Girls Club when she asked to use Health Department funds for the job.
Yocom called it a "unique arrangement," and said county money has never been legally used in that way.
He also said Tuesday that allegations he was politically motivated were "distasteful" and unfounded.
"I have the legal duty to question the conduct of government officials and perform any additional actions that may be warranted, including the investigation and prosecution of government officials."
Yocom said Workman would be arrested soon and released on her own recognizance.
In a county council meeting later Tuesday, Workman was replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Mayor Alan Dayton.
"We're just going to move forward," Dayton told reporters.
The charges against the first-term mayor — who's embroiled in a tight campaign against Democratic newcomer Peter Corroon, a cousin of former Vermont governor Howard Dean — are just the latest blows to county officials.
Earlier this summer, the Salt Lake County Auditor resigned and pleaded guilty to felony attempted misuse of public money for using a county gas card to buy $10,000 in fuel for personal vehicles.
Two other officials also resigned in the scandal.