CSB insider breaks silence on scandal

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY.com) - A former employee of the Norfolk Community Services Board told WAVY.com she was repeatedly told to ignore suspicious activity as the agency continued to pay a worker for 12 years even though she was not showing up for work.

"I think there are some that are relieved that it's finally out," said the former employee, who asked to keep her identity hidden for fear of retribution. "I feel that, relief that it's finally out."

On Friday, four top administrators and an executive assistant were forced out of the taxpayer funded agency for allegedly facilitating the continued payment of salary and benefits for the no-show employee who had been placed on leave in 1998 and never came back to work.

The agency insider said, "People were just keeping a secret, and I'll call it a dirty little secret of the Norfolk CSB." She told WAVY.com the first time she noticed the name of the no-show employee, Jill McGlone, pop up on employee reports, she questioned her supervisor.

"I was not familiar with the employee and the supervisor would just say that she was a former employee. He said to ignore it and just consider it an error." The insider said when McGlone's name kept appearing she knew there was something suspicious going on inside the CSB. "I felt something was wrong. I again told my supervisor that the name appeared again what should I do, he said, 'Continue to ignore it.' I just went and did what my boss told me to do."

The insider said top administrators, like Brenda Wise who was just fired as the Director of Administration, had to take steps routinely to make sure McGlone kept getting paid. "Authorizing the employee to be paid this way, the second way would be keeping her in the payroll system. There had to be someone signing her timesheet," she said. McGlone was also given yearly raises, which were approved by administrators.

The insider said she did not know until news of the CSB scandal broke recently that McGlone was still getting paid. "I should have questioned it more," she said. But, her supervisor kept telling her to look the other way. Knowing now what was going on, she said she feels "anger, outrage and disgust."

WAVY.com also caught up with Wise at her home in Norfolk. She refused to answer any questions and said, "I really am sorry that you came all the way out to my house and I would like to politely say that I really can't talk about this."

The case is now in the hands of the FBI, Virginia State Police and Norfolk Police to determine whether anyone will be charged with a crime.