By Gregory Korte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A senior auditor for the city of Cincinnati has been suspended amid allegations she falsified time records and spent most of her work day at home.

Karen L. Schulte, 52, of East Price Hill, worked as a senior auditor in the city's Internal Audit Division - the city agency that investigates waste, fraud and abuse of tax money by other city departments.

The incident comes as two city councilmen - David Crowley and Pat DeWine - have moved to make the Internal Audit Division more independent by having it report to a committee appointed by the mayor and City Council.

The Office of Municipal Investigation, using surveillance and interviews with co-workers, found at least 12 instances since Jan. 21 when Schulte would show up at her office first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon. In between, she drove home and was observed shoveling snow and unloading packages from a shopping trip, an OMI report said.

Each time, she put in for eight hours of pay, reporting to her boss that she spent her time on such tasks as "troubleshooting" or "audit work paper organizing."

"During the limited time of the OMI investigation, Ms. Schulte spent considerable work time at home and driving to unknown destinations," the report said. "OMI believes that this is a consistent pattern of Ms. Schulte that has likely occurred over a significant period of time."

Indeed, personnel records show that Schulte was reprimanded in 1998 for going to the library and sitting in a park for several hours during work time.

She was supposed to be working on a "critically overdue" audit of the Cincinnati Water Works. OMI investigators Frank Sefton and Mark Gissiner said some senior Water Works managers she was supposed to be working with had never heard of her.

Schulte, who has a law degree and makes $64,000 a year, has been suspended with pay pending a disciplinary hearing. The Human Resources Department recommended she be fired.

Schulte has an unlisted phone number, and did not respond to a note left at her home Friday.

OMI also recommended that the city consider criminal charges against Schulte for theft in office, and that the Finance Department review "the failure of Ms. Schulte's supervisor to adequately oversee her work and performance."

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com