LINCOLN- The former head of History Nebraska might have violated state law in misdirecting $270,000 in funds forwarded to him to help cover losses in revenue caused by COVID-19, the Nebraska State Auditor’s Office said.

Trevor Jones, who resigned as History Nebraska’s director effective July 1, should have deposited the funds, as required by law, with the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office, said Craig Kubicek, deputy state auditor, in a letter to History Nebraska.

Instead, the funds — requested in 2020 to help the agency weather losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — were forwarded to a newly formed History Nebraska Foundation and were not utilized for pandemic relief.

The auditor’s letter said that the misdirection of funds could constitute embezzlement, theft or official misconduct and that the matter has been forwarded to law enforcement officials for their review. The case might also be a violation of the Nebraska Political Accountability and Disclosure Act.

“Without such procedures, there is an increased risk for not only waste, misuse, or misappropriation of State funds but also violation of State law,” Kubicek wrote.

The auditor’s letter also raised concerns about the use of History Nebraska’s resources to help set up a private, nongovernmental entity, the History Nebraska Foundation, in 2019 and 2020.

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