(WFSB) – Taxes paid for state employees and their families to get airbrush tattoos and pony rides. A state audit released Oct. 30 describes the event as a possible misuse of funds by the state’s Division of Public Defender Services. The agency spent $22,561 for its 2023 annual meeting.

Team I first reported on this event in October 2023, and this new report shows just how much money was spent.

The audit says the “meeting” included an airbrush tattoo station, pony rides, rowboats and pickleball. Only 45 minutes were spent on professional training. The report says 142 of the people who participated were hired. The other 198 people were family members. In total, the state paid $12,000 for out-of-state employees to attend the event.

The event was held in Holiday Hills in the summer of 2023. The chief public defender at the time, Tashun Bowden-Lewis, was formally reprimanded, in part, for signing the contract to host the event. Bowden-Lewis was then fired in June 2024, accused of a number of things, including misconduct towards employees and refusing to work honestly with the commission that oversees her. Bowden-Lewis has since filed a federal lawsuit against the state, alleging discrimination.

In the audit, the agency’s response is described as agreeing with the finding that tax dollars should be spent primarily on work-related purposes. The report says the agency’s 2024 annual meeting reverted to a training day for division employees only.

There were several other findings in the audit. You can read the full report HERE.

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