Federal Probe of County’s Child Support System Opens

Federal officials have opened an inquiry into the policies and practices of Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti’s child support bureau, according to sources in the Department of Health and Human Services.

The investigation was described by department officials, who asked not to be identified, as being “in the early stages.” It follows a series of stories in The Times this month that showed that the district attorney’s operation is among the worst in the state and the nation.

Gloria Allred, a prominent Los Angeles attorney and longtime child support advocate who requested the investigation, said, “I think it’s very significant.”

Allred, who flew to Washington to meet with federal officials Friday, said, “We need the federal investigators to inspect this program. I don’t think we can rely on the D.A. to inspect himself.”

Judy Holtz, spokeswoman for the office of the inspector general of Health and Human Services, said only: “We are aware of the issue. We’re looking into it.”

Among the issues detailed by The Times that Allred asked to be investigated were the reported destruction of unopened mail inside the office, the alleged falsification of documents to gain millions of dollars in state money, and Garcetti’s use of child support funding to cover spending by other parts of his office.

Allred also said that the use of hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds by the child support office needed to be examined. The Times reported that Garcetti’s office spends more on child support and collects less than any of the four other largest counties in the state.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has also asked for a report into issues raised in The Times’ series, and legislators are seeking an audit of the state’s entire child support system. Some key legislators have suggested that the program be taken from the state’s 58 elected district attorneys, an effort that has been defeated in the past.

The inspector general’s probe, however, would represent the highest level yet of scrutiny of Garcetti’s office. Although the child support program is run by Garcetti, it is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.

The federal government pays two-thirds of the base cost of Garcetti’s $100-million-a-year operation and passes additional incentive funding through the state government.

Washington also picked up most of the tab for the Los Angeles County agency’s new $55-million computer, which The Times’ series revealed had little or no impact on collections but created havoc inside the agency.

Victoria Pipkin, a spokeswoman for Garcetti, said the district attorney had not received any notice of a federal inquiry.

When Allred appeared before the Board of Supervisors this month to announce that she was seeking the investigation, the district attorney walked out of the chamber.

Times staff writer Robert Rosenblatt in Washington contributed to this story.