Reports

We provided unmodified opinions on the University of Wisconsin (UW) System’s financial statements as of and for the years ended June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2022. These financial statements account for the financial position and activity of UW System. We conducted this financial audit by auditing UW System’s financial statements in accordance with applicable government auditing standards, issuing our auditor’s opinions, reviewing internal controls, and issuing our auditor’s report on internal control and compliance. We also reviewed UW System program revenue balances as of June 30, 2023.

Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces Levelle Joseph Harris (36, Kissimmee) has entered a guilty plea to an indictment charging him with 14 counts of wire fraud. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Harris had been indicted on June 7, 2022.

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Levelle Joseph Harris (36, Kissimmee) has surrendered pursuant to an indictment charging him with 14 counts of wire fraud. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Harris had been indicted on June 7, 2022.

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging nine defendants in relation to a Maryland and California CARES Act COVID-19 unemployment insurance scheme. The indictment charges the defendants with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and theft of United States Postal Office arrow keys. The indictment was returned on June 21, 2022, and unsealed upon the defendants’ self-surrenders and arrests.

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Dana Lamar Antonio Hayes, Jr., age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, on the federal charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. The indictment was returned on June 23, 2022, and unsealed upon his arrest. Hayes will have an initial appearance today at 3:30 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner.

As requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, we have completed a limited-scope review of how the Department of Administration (DOA) used supplemental federal funds provided in response to the public health emergency. DOA paid $2.2 billion to other state agencies and spent $1.5 billion on its own programs. As of June 30, 2022, $1.8 billion in discretionary funds were remaining. In December 2022, DOA indicated it had plans for using most of these funds.

As part of our financial statements audit of the Unemployment Reserve Fund, which accounts for Wisconsin’s Unemployment Insurance program paid to eligible individuals, we provided an unmodified opinion on the Fund’s financial statements and related notes as of and for the years ended June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2021. We found the assets of the Reserve Fund exceeded liabilities at the close of fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 by almost $1.4 billion. Except for $19.2 million in certain federal allocations, the Fund’s net position, if positive, can be used only to pay unemployment benefits to eligible...

From March 2020 through June 2022, the Department of Health Services (DHS) awarded $159.6 million in program grants to 1,431 long-term health care and emergency medical services providers. We question $518,700 that DHS paid to 10 grant applicants that did not submit sufficient documentation to support their grant applications or the grant amounts they requested. We provide recommendations to DHS to improve how it administers its grant programs and its Ventilator Stewardship program. We also recommend DHS improve how its Office of Inspector General ensures program integrity.

The Department of Administration prepares the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), which contains the financial statements of the State of Wisconsin prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) prescribed by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. The ACFR includes financial information on state funds, including the State’s General Fund, the Transportation Fund, the University of Wisconsin System, the Unemployment Reserve Fund, and the Wisconsin Retirement System. We provided unmodified opinions on the financial statements and related notes of the...