Hollywood, Fla.-based Memorial Healthcare System has placed an employee on unpaid administrative leave and launched an internal investigation after learning of allegations against the employee from the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
Former Miami-Dade public school board member Lubby Navarro, who is a registered lobbyist in the Government Affairs Department at Memorial Healthcare System, is accused of using about $100,000 in school funds for personal benefit. The State Attorney's Office filed criminal charges against Ms. Navarro on Jan. 11. The charges, which include fraud and grand theft, stem from her time on the school board in 2022, according to Fox affiliate WSVN.
Ms. Navarro is "unequivocally innocent of all charges that have been filed," her attorney has said, while the school board has committed to more oversight, according to the news station.
Ms. Navarro's latest employer is Memorial Healthcare System, which includes Memorial Regional Hospital, its flagship facility.
Yanet Obarrio-Sanchez, administrative director of corporate communications for the health system, told Becker's that Ms. Navarro was placed on unpaid administrative leave after the health system learned of the allegations brought against her.
"As a standard procedure, Memorial immediately began an internal investigation," Ms. Obarrio-Sanchez said.
The investigation is into Ms. Navarro's work and transactions. Ms. Obarrio-Sanchez said the health system also removed her access to her company credit card and health system facilities.
"Our commitment to maintaining the highest standard of integrity remains unwavering as we determine the facts of the matter," Ms. Obarrio-Sanchez said. "All future actions will be taken in the best interest of the communities we serve. This remains an ongoing investigation."