Former Evansville parks director charged with falsifying invoices

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A former parks director in Evansville faces criminal charges on accusations he falsified invoices for the department, local officials said Monday.

The 12 felony charges against Brian Holtz were announced Monday afternoon in a news conference that aired on Facebook Live.

Investigators say Holtz altered invoices for work done by a specific company. Police say some of the altered invoices had white out on them. Investigators found some of the documents in Holtz’s home. The case involves 158 incidents dating back to 2017 with counterfeit invoices and purchase orders.

Officials say the projects totaled $13 million, and most the work had been completed, but Holtz falsified documents in the process. He resigned July 19.

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke says no money was stolen, but the city lost in excess of $360,000 for things including interest payments on unauthorized loans, unbudgeted projects and legal fees.

Winnecke says the city has instituted new procedures to prevent this from happening again.