Over the past 24 hours, City of Brighton staff worked diligently to recover potential fraud totaling $348,000. On Monday, March 29, the City sent a $348,000 Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction to the bank, payable to a vendor as part of a contract awarded in December of 2020 for a construction project. On Tuesday afternoon, March 30, the City of Brighton was notified by the bank of suspicious activity regarding the transaction. 

City staff quickly alerted Brighton Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the City’s insurance company to investigate. After an initial investigation, the bank was able to recover the money and return it back to the City of Brighton by Wednesday morning, March 31. The City is working closely with authorities on this on-going investigation.

“Due to the hard work and prompt action of our City Staff and the bank, the City was able to recover the money,” said Jane Bais DiSessa, Brighton City Manager. “This incident is a good reminder of the prevalence of constant attempts at fraudulent activity. We will continue to work with investigators and strengthen any safeguards to prevent this from happening in the future.” 

As the investigation continues, the City is actively taking proactive measures, including not paying contracted vendors through ACH at this time.

The City of Brighton will provide more information as it becomes available.

For media requesting interviews with Brighton City Manager Jane Bais DiSessa, please email communications@brightonco.gov or call 303-746-2036.