CUSICK, Wash. — A former Cusick clerk and city councilmember pleaded guilty to stealing over $195,000 from the town of Cusick.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern Washington District, former Cusick clerk and city councilmember Michael Servas embezzled over $195,000 while employed by Cusick between October 2022 and March 2023.
The clerk is responsible for managing finances for the town of Cusick.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Servas used the Cusick Mayor's credit card and his own town credit card to embezzle and transfer over $190,000 in public town funds from Cusick's bank account to his PayPal accounts, as well as a cryptocurrency account Servas and his spouse owned.
The U.S. Attorney's Office also said Servas wrote a nearly $5,000 fraudulent check from Cusick's account to himself.
“Mr. Servas not only carried out a fraudulent scheme to rob a town of its financial resources, but when his colleagues noticed the money missing, Mr. Servas filed a report with law enforcement to hide his theft,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Mr. Servas took these actions while an elected public official with a moral duty and legal obligation to protect that money. Our communities trust elected officials to serve others, rather than to look after only their own self-interest. When elected officials abuse this trust by committing theft and lining their own pockets with taxpayer money, these officials devastate our communities and undermine our democratic system of government. I commend the exceptional work done by the FBI and the Washington State Auditor’s Office to root out the fraud. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to expose and prosecute public corruption, self-dealing, and fraud.”
Servas' sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 13, 2024.
