This whole thing stinks....and the more I read about this situation, this whole department stinks....look at the money these people are making...(presumably the rest of the "employees" do actually come into the office and make some sort of effort to earn their salaries.) But here is what is bothering me....6000 poor people in Norfolk have over 300 people hired and designated to do nothing but help the poor people. You do the math...that is ONE EMPLOYEE FOR EACH 20 "POOR" PEOPLE....is it only me or is there something terribly wrong with the numbers in this situation??????? Does Norfolk really need 1 person dedicated to the needs of every 20 poor people?? Wouldn't the money be better spent on salaries for teachers, firefighters, police??? I think the people of Norfolk need to be asking questions and lots of them...more details need to be given as to what exactly goes on and how long has it been going on. The City of Norfolk is becoming a real joke when it comes to the administration of their city.

This is American. I immediately hit the “fry ‘um” button but will change to undecided. We haven’t seen anything yet from the offenders in their defense. I’m sure it will be coming. If they didn’t receive any personal gain (e.g., kickback etc.), being stupid probably should get them fired but that may be all that is appropriate.

We got one of those community services types in the White House. He gets paid and he doesn’t show up for work either.

There are over 300 people in that department. It's easy to get lost in those numbers. Wasn't the individual about to be fired and was home on leave WITH PAY until her case was settled? If someone failed to follow through and close her case with the necessary documents, the Human Resources dept.is at fault. If others knew about it but were not in a position of authority how can you blame them for someone else's negligence. Not everyone has the guts to be a whistleblower when it doesn't directly concern them. Mystery: In order to get pay increases you need to pass a satisfactory yearly review. Whose signature was on those documents? We need to know more about this situation before making criminal accusations.

I want one of those jobs.

I am a Ph.D, Board Certified professional and had to bring in 3X my salary to not feel useless in VA: And I made Less in "private industry" than those "Public Servant" supervisors (Thank you En***on).

I now want to move to VA again to not work for a "private" company; And then be paid for not working, publishing por* on your email or other activities that are funded by "our" tax dollars.......Hmmm as some of these funds are Federal this is a no brainer, wire/mail fraud and filling out someone else's time sheet.......that was never there ................so Jail or lets have more of the same in Norfolk...pronounced by Natives...............you know

Sorry to say that there are probably many more examples and if you think Jail sentences are not appropriate, then how about something worse???

Wait to make a decision? I Agree on that wrt the degree of guilt. However, the five who were fired - 'knew all along' about it, according to the article. If a group of people rob a bank, the driver of the get-away vehicle is considered to be guilty and is a criminal, regardless of Not being inside the bank. This 'absent employee' of 12 years apparently received money for no work - in effect stealing, similar to robbing a bank. Based on the article alone, these five Are complicit in this fraud, even if they received no money, just as the get-away driver is in the bank robbery. I believe criminal charges Should be filed in this case, because in a way they 'drove' the get-away vehicle that enabled the 'absent employee' to 'get away with it' ..

Because we do not have all the facts, and certainly do not know if anything illegal has occurred. On the face of it it would seem someone perpetrated a fraud on the taxpayers, but whether is was one or any of these 5 is not borne out by the facts presented so far. According to the VP the one being the most evasive is Mr. Pratt. So until I decide I am waiting for "the rest of the story".

Yes we need to make an example out of these people and subject them to whatever remedies the law allows. This is a criminal conspiracy pure and simple. Most of the people involved have a responsibility to protect the public's interest by job definition such as Ms William’s financial position.

Prosecute if laws were broken, I certainly think we were fleeced and those that were supposed to take action didn't. This whole business is embarrassing to those that live in Norfolk and brings shame on those that knew. Makes me wonder; what else is going on in Norfolk City government?

In addition to criminal charges, I think the city should sue the people involved (including those who knowingly defrauded the city) to recover the money paid to the "employee".
Everyone involved should share the responsibility of repaying the money (and the cost of benefits) that were fraudulently paid to her.