Complaint alleges corruption among Pierce County assessors
TACOMA, Wash. -- A pitched battle is brewing in Pierce County with accusations of criminal corruption and fraud on one side, and misuse of taxpayer money on the other.
Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam is trying to up the ante. Now his chief deputy has filed a criminal complaint, hoping to force the sheriff and the prosecutor to do something.
"Quite frankly ... the fact that we have had to file a criminal complaint is in and of itself is tragic," said Pierce County Deputy Assessor Alberto Ugas, who has been with the county's appraisal office for 13 years.
Ugas says he's seen first-hand examples of fraud and corruption that led to more than a billion dollars worth of property being undervalued. The vast majority of it in commercial property around the county.
The result, according to Washam, is that for years, homeowners have probably paid more than their fair share.
"When those physical inspections weren't being done at all, yes. When someone is not paying their share, someone else is," he said.
While both men have instituted plans to reappraise and reassess all county properties, they want more. They want the people responsible to pay; they want a criminal investigation.
Washam has already asked the sheriff, the prosecutor, and the state attorney general, but all have declined. Now Ugas is asking the sheriff to just investigate.
"If nobody is willing to face up to the wrongdoing that was allowed to fester for so long, how do we prevent it from ever happening again?" he said.
Last year, when Washam first asked the sheriff to investigate, he said it would be counterproductive to invest time into a matter that may not be deemed criminal.
The Problem Solvers haven't found any evidence that anyone outside of the assessor's office has done anything to really look into this situation to see if there was any criminal wrongdoing.
Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam is trying to up the ante. Now his chief deputy has filed a criminal complaint, hoping to force the sheriff and the prosecutor to do something.
"Quite frankly ... the fact that we have had to file a criminal complaint is in and of itself is tragic," said Pierce County Deputy Assessor Alberto Ugas, who has been with the county's appraisal office for 13 years.
Ugas says he's seen first-hand examples of fraud and corruption that led to more than a billion dollars worth of property being undervalued. The vast majority of it in commercial property around the county.
The result, according to Washam, is that for years, homeowners have probably paid more than their fair share.
"When those physical inspections weren't being done at all, yes. When someone is not paying their share, someone else is," he said.
While both men have instituted plans to reappraise and reassess all county properties, they want more. They want the people responsible to pay; they want a criminal investigation.
Washam has already asked the sheriff, the prosecutor, and the state attorney general, but all have declined. Now Ugas is asking the sheriff to just investigate.
"If nobody is willing to face up to the wrongdoing that was allowed to fester for so long, how do we prevent it from ever happening again?" he said.
Last year, when Washam first asked the sheriff to investigate, he said it would be counterproductive to invest time into a matter that may not be deemed criminal.
The Problem Solvers haven't found any evidence that anyone outside of the assessor's office has done anything to really look into this situation to see if there was any criminal wrongdoing.
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