Some of the money set aside to help those affected by the deadly tornadoes in December 2021 has been sent to the wrong people. The State Treasurer's office began receiving calls from unqualified people shortly after checks were mailed.
Of the 100,000 checks that have been issued, about 200 have been canceled as people who received the money called into the Treasurer's office. The checks were sent in $1,000 increments to the wrong people and represented a minuscule amount of the millions of dollars in relief that has been provided to the right people.
"We'll work to find any dollar that went somewhere that it shouldn't have and to get it back," Governor Andy Beshear told reporters. "But there are a lot of people out there who rightfully received those checks that are helping their families."
Allison Ball, the Kentucky State Treasurer, has called for audits of the tornado fund and other relief funds to ensure complete transparency and provide Kentuckians with peace of mind that money set aside to help them is actually being used for that purpose.
Anyone who received a tornado relief check but shouldn’t have, should call the Treasurer’s office immediately at 502-564-4722.
While no one in the state government has voiced their concerns, anyone knowingly accepting erroneously sent funds may be held civilly and criminally liable.
Image by The U.S Army - https://www.flickr.com/photos/35703177@N00/6956338003, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113278289
Staff Report from The Kentucky Daily