Utah state auditor reports more than $180,000 in cash missing in Iron County

SALT LAKE CITY — On Wednesday, the Utah Office of the State Auditor released its findings in a theft case in Iron County. A whistleblower led it to a county employee, who was charged with stealing thousands from the planning and zoning department.

Auditor Tina Cannon said it took seven years for someone to notice what was happening and report it, all because of the cash system that Iron County entrusted in a single person. The concerned employee was able to report confidentially through the state’s whistleblower hotline.

“The hero in this case is the whistleblower,” Cannon said.

“The same employee who was recording how much money came in on a spreadsheet was also the one making the deposits. So it’s not hard to not record it on the spreadsheet and then not deposit it,” Cannon said. “It’s a classic skimming scheme.”

The Iron County Attorney’s Office has charged Chelsea Boxwell, former office manager, with this theft, and says she’s admitted to stealing more than $160,000 in cash from the county since 2018. It also says she admitted to stealing another $119,000 from a local business where she also worked.

Auditor Cannon said it’s imperative to have at least two employees oversee every dollar coming into a government agency.

“That is not always the least expensive way to design government, that when you are dealing with someone else’s money, that is the only way to design a system where you are accountable to the public,” Cannon said.

You can utilize the confidential whistleblower hotline at the state auditor’s website.

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