SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego County will pay nearly $150,000 to six subcontractors who were not compensated for services provided to Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego, whose former chief operating officer is facing criminal charges for allegedly embezzling funds, it was announced Monday.
The county's announcement comes about two months after the nonprofit's COO was charged by the San Diego County District Attorney's Office with taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funds and using the money for personal expenses such as plastic surgery procedures, trips to Hawaii and Disneyland, and payments for her SDG&E and credit card bills.
While county officials said in a statement issued Monday that Harm Reduction Coalition was "solely responsible for paying their employees and subcontractors, the county determined some compensation will be issued for work and materials within the scope of the HRCSD contract given the unique circumstances."
The county also said the subcontractors might receive additional money through victim restitution as a result of the criminal case brought against Harm Reduction Coalition's ex-COO, Amy Knox.
The county's contracts with Harm Reduction Coalition -- which distributed naloxone and drug testing materials -- ended last June, though the county says it is continuing to distribute naloxone "without interruption."
When the criminal charges were announced, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan also raised questions about how Knox was hired for her position, as she was previously charged with stealing over $500,000 from a prior employer, and was ultimately sentenced to prison in that case.
The county has since announced that an independent auditor is conducting a review of its contracting processes. A report on the auditor's findings and recommendations is expected by the end of next month.
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