An audit of the Springhill City Court found 62 unauthorized credit card charges totaling approximately $11,413, but no theft or fraud investigation has been opened, according to the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The unauthorized charges occurred between August 2024 and January 2025 and again in August 2025, according to the audit of the court’s financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025. The person responsible for the charges was unknown at the time of the audit.
The audit states that Judge Stuart W. McMahen told auditors the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office had been contacted regarding the charges. The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office and the 26th Judicial District Attorney’s Office also were notified in writing on February 26, 2026.
Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker said Monday that the matter was reported to the Sheriff’s Office through McMahen and District Attorney Schuyler Marvin, but that no investigation was requested or opened.
Parker said the matter was treated as a mandatory notification regarding fraudulent use of a credit card. The unauthorized charges were identified, and the money was reimbursed, but no report was filed requesting an investigation into the theft or fraud.
“They saw it and got the money reimbursed, and then that was it. No report has been filed for the theft or fraud,” Parker said.
The audit reports that restitution was made for the amounts involved.
The Minden Press-Herald attempted to contact McMahen Tuesday seeking clarification about the circumstances surrounding the charges, whether he requested an investigation, and whether he intends to request one now. McMahen has not responded as of publication.
In its response to the audit finding, the court stated that the questioned transactions were not authorized by the court and, to its knowledge, were not incurred for court-related purposes. The court said the transactions appeared to have resulted from unauthorized access to credit card information.
The court said the credit card account was secured and the card was canceled after the transactions were identified. It also said additional controls were implemented, including maintaining a single authorized cardholder account, securely storing credit card information, removing stored credit card information from third-party applications, and increasing review and approval procedures for credit card activity.
The audit identified four findings for the year. Two were classified as material weaknesses, including the finding related to segregation of duties over civil fees and fines. The other two findings involved compliance matters.
The segregation-of-duties finding also was reported in the previous year’s audit. Auditors found that an employee responsible for collecting civil fees and fines also was responsible for depositing the funds and recording the deposits in the general ledger, with no independent review of deposits against subsidiary records.
The court acknowledged the limitations in its internal controls and said limited administrative staffing resulted in certain duties being performed by the same employee. The court said it would implement additional compensating controls, including periodic independent review of deposit activity and reconciliation processes.
The auditors’ report states that the financial statements fairly present, in all material respects, the financial position of the Springhill City Court as of June 30, 2025, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.