22-02-2025
Former Clay County election director facing felony fraud charges
LIBERTY, Mo. — A Clay County woman who was wanted for fraud was arrested more than a thousand miles away in Montana.
Patricia 'Patty' Lamb, the former Clay County Republican Election Director, faces felony charges of fraud and fraudulent use of a credit device stemming from an October 2023 investigation.
Court documents accuse Lamb of stealing more than $15,000 from Clay County during her time with the Election Board. That includes $8,126 in non-business-related charges and charges with no receipts, $1,336 in expense reimbursements for mileage that had no supporting documentation, $200 in petty cash payments, and $6,278.40 from two unexplained payroll checks.
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It started in September 2023 when someone with the Clay County Election Board discovered Lamb made charges to her business credit card that had nothing to do with the Election Office. Board members put her on leave a month later and hired Fox Forensic Accounting to complete a forensic audit report on Lamb's expense reports, credit card statements, and payroll from 2021 to 2024. She was ultimately terminated in January 2024.
From there, a warrant was issued for her arrest after she failed to appear in court in the fall of 2024. Court documents state authorities tried to contact her for an interview but felt she may have left the area or state.
Police in Belgrade, Montana took her into custody after being contacted by the Clay County Sheriff's Office. It's not clear what Lamb was doing in Montana when she was arrested on Wednesday, February 19.
The Clay County Election Board sent FOX 4 a statement, which said:
'The Clay County Board of Election Commissioners in a financial review discovered what appeared to be questionable transactions being made. The Board conducted an initial investigation. Based on the investigation, the Board took immediate, appropriate, temporary and permanent personnel action. Further, the Board contracted with an outside forensic accounting firm for a comprehensive financial review. Irregularities were discovered. Additionally, the Board conducted an in-depth review of job responsibilities-which resulted in increased oversight in Board operations. The Board forwarded the information gathered on the irregularities to the Clay County Sheriff's Office.'
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