Idaho irrigation district says former treasurer embezzled $1.8 million, bought 6 homes
A former treasurer for the Black Canyon Irrigation District, a Notus irrigation district that serves over 60,000 acres in western Canyon County, embezzled more than $1.8 million from the district, according to a lawsuit.
Catherine Skidmore, the district’s treasurer for eight years, bought six houses with the irrigation district’s money before her firing this summer, the district’s lawsuit against her said.
The irrigation district fired Skidmore for “dissatisfaction with her work ethic,” according to the complaint. Afterward, the district’s auditor found many instances since 2019 where Skidmore had withdrawn money from the district’s accounts and put it into her own.
The irrigation district said Skidmore manufactured invoices to cover up the transfers. She also requested cashier’s checks from the district’s account to her mortgage company, to her brother and to her personal account.
The lawsuit is a private civil case, not a criminal case filed by prosecutors. The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a report the Black Canyon Irrigation District that filed in July, said Joe Decker, county spokesperson.
Skidmore’s lawyer, Joseph Miller, with Mauk, Miller, Hawkins law firm, did not immediately respond to phone call Thursday requestingcomment.
According to the lawsuit, just two hours after the irrigation district fired Skidmore, on July 6, she took $10,000 from one of its savings accounts before the district took her name off the account. Later the same day she tried to transfer $50,000 from another account to her own, but the district revoked the transfer.
Two days after her firing, Skidmore went into the irrigation district offices and removed items from her desk, attempted to access the district’s Quickbooks and appeared to delete emails and files from her work computer, the complaint said.
Skidmore also tried to change the password to the district’s accounts, the complaint said.
The district’s manager, Carl Hayes, took note of Skidmore’s suspicious activity after she was fired and dug into its accounts for any flags of odd activity, the complaint said.
He found $370,000 from different district accounts that ended up in Skidmore’s personal account, went to her mortgage company or was sent to family members.
This finding led to a deeper investigation from the district’s auditor, who found 26 instances where Skidmore transferred funds to herself. The complaint said the irrigation district is still examining its transfers.
In the lawsuit, Skidmore faces one count of fraud; one count of conversion, which means she knowingly or intentionally exerted unauthorized control over the property of another person; and one count of constructive trust, which means she wrongfully obtained property owned by the irrigation district.
The irrigation district asked for a jury trial, for the $1.8 million paid back, and for a hold to be placed on everything Skidmore purchased with the district’s money.
Canyon County District Judge Thomas Whitney approved Black Canyon’s preliminary injunction against Skidmore on Tuesday. That prohibits her from selling the properties she purchased or removing any money from the district’s Idaho Central Credit Union accounts or her personal Chase Bank account.
This story was first reported by the Idaho Press.
This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 2:33 PM.
