When the New York Times reported on financial troubles at the Mark Twain House museum in Hartford, Conn. back in June 2008, the newspaper attributed the problem in part to state politicians who were unwilling to spend enough. From the article:
the state contributes about $60,000 a year toward operating expenses, a fraction of the museum's current $2.9 million budget. In February, legislative leaders said they favored awarding an extra $230,000 to help the museum bridge a $370,000 shortfall that it foresees for the year ending next Jan. 31.
But the state's governor, M. Jodi Rell, a Republican, and the Democratically controlled legislature then adopted what was widely called a "do-nothing" budget that left the previous year's decisions frozen.
"That was a huge blow," said Duby McDowell, a board member at the museum.
As a result, the museum and other needy organizations are now fending for themselves, Ms. McDowell said
Reuters now has the rest of the story, which I haven't yet seen in the Times:
An employee of the historic home of Mark Twain...pleaded guilty on Friday to embezzling more than $1 million from the tourist attraction.
A long-time employee of the famed American writer's historic home, Gregor pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and filing a false tax return, according to Thomas Carson, a spokesman for the U.S. Justice Department.
Donna Gregor, 58, admitted in District Court that she fudged the books to steal from the financially troubled Mark Twain House and Museum in West Hartford, authorities said....According to court documents, Gregor submitted false information over the Internet to the Mark Twain House payroll vendor between 2002 and 2010. The misinformation allowed additional pay to which she was not entitled to be deposited into her bank account, classified as payroll advances.
