A Hastings woman was charged in Dakota County Court last week for felony theft by swindle and misconduct of a public employee.
Gao Jer Moua, 35, Hastings, was employed by Dakota County and, while she was supposed to be working at home, she allegedly had set up a device on her computer that would toggle her computer mouse so it would appear she was doing work.
Moua was employed as a financial specialist for Dakota County. The theft by swindle (between $1,000 and $5,000) is a felony, and the misconduct of a public employee is a gross misdemeanor.
According to the criminal complaint’s statement of probable cause, officers were sent to Moua’s residence on March 14 after coworkers were unable to make contact with her despite her appearing to be working online. No one answered when officers knocked on the door. “Officers could see defendant’s work computer through a window, and it appeared there was something toggling the mouse every 10-15 seconds, as if someone was actively working on the computer,” the complaint states.
Dakota County learned that Moua was reportedly terminated from employment in Anoka County on March 14. “Based on defendant’s Dakota work records, concerns arose that defendant was performing Anoka County work while also being paid at the same time by Dakota County for work that was not being performed,” according to the complaint.
Anoka County employment records showed that Moua worked there doing financial work between Sept. 5, 2023 and March 14.
In an interview with the Dakota County Employee Relations Department, Moua said she worked for the county for eight years and was required to be “in person” twice a month. She said her supervisor knew she also worked for Anoka County, and Anoka County knew she worked for Dakota County.
“Defendant did not view working for both counties as interfering with her work,” the complaint states, and she claimed she had been working March 14 when coworkers tried to contact her.
“Defendant also believed that neither county was shorted in productivity by her working scheduled hours for both at the same time,” the complaint states, noting that Moua emailed her resignation to Dakota County following the meeting with Employee Relations.
A Dakota County audit of Moua’s work records show a decline in productivity starting in January 2024.
“There were numerous days when she appeared to do significantly less work. There were also days when defendant claimed hours on her timecard, including overtime days, where she performed no work and was paid for those hours,” according to the complaint.
Dakota County estimated a loss of $2,958.76 in payments when Moua wasn’t working between Jan. 4-March 14.
Moua admitted to a detective that she used “a mouse-moving device while scheduled to work when she needed time to decompress.”