Union School Board Member Facing Fraud Charges for ‘Double Dipping’

MarceRamirezA member of the Union County Board of Education who was accused of “double dipping” on driving expenses reimbursements last year is facing fraud charges.

Marce Savage, 42, is under investigation after she was suspected of filing reimbursements for one trip with both the North Carolina school board and the Union County school, where she held a position on each. Savage resigned from both positions following the accusations.

Savage was charged on Tuesday with two counts each of obtaining repairs and supplies for a private vehicle and swearing falsely to official reports, according to the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation.

The actions by Savage that led to the accusations happened between May 10, 2013, and Sept. 18, 2014. The Union County school board found 29 issues with Savage’s expenses in February, including seeking reimbursement for an event she didn’t attend and also seeking mileage reimbursement at double or triple the actual amount for an event.

The problems were detailed by the Union County school board in November as “theft of taxpayer money,” in which the local expenses were $609 and state expenses were $2,037.

Savage had previously claimed political motivation was the reason for the investigation and that she didn’t act improperly.

Savage then apologized in November to the local board for submitting the mileage to both boards for the same event and resigned later from the state board.

The court appearance for Savage is scheduled for Sept. 25 in Union County District Court.

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