NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Some Newport News council members were ordered to reimburse the city for misusing city credit cards.
Through the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 13News Now obtained a memo from the city attorney to the former city manager that flags several charges on the city cards.
Among the flagged charges are meals, air travel, hotel reservations, a personal LinkedIn subscription, and other things unrelated to city council duties.
Those told to reimburse the city are Vice Mayor Curtis Bethany and council members John Eley, Patricia Woodbury, and Cleon Long.
The document shows Vice Mayor Bethany paid back a little more than $2,700 to the city for more than a dozen ineligible expenses this past winter. Those expenses include several cash app transactions, a LinkedIn subscription, and a flight -- plus a seat upgrade -- to watch Christopher Newport University play basketball in the NCAA championship game in Indiana.
Councilman Eley had to reimburse the city for a little more than $1,000 for almost a dozen meals over five weeks that exceeded the reimbursable rate. That included dinners at Bay Local and PF Changs that each exceeded $200.
Councilman Long reimbursed the city $33 for a lunch at Green Turtle and Councilwoman Woodbury paid back $35 for five lunches that exceeded the reimbursable rate.
The city attorney sent the memo on May 1 questioning the charges and by the end of the month, every council member had reimbursed the city.