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State agency plagued with leadership turnover hired deputy commissioner accused of taking $99K from Colorado nonprofit

Coloradosun · · 909 words · By Jennifer Brown
Misconduct in Non-Profit/State Employment Government Oversight and Accountability
open_in_new Read the original article: https://coloradosun.com/2026/04/24/behavioral-health-deputy-commissioner-hiring-…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Selective Omission 70% confidence
Deliberately leaving out important context or facts that would change interpretation.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

26 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 16
info Single Source 6
check_circle Corroborated 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“The state Behavioral Health Administration, which lost its first two commissioners amid allegations of mismanagement, hired a deputy commissioner without checking with the nonprofit where she had worked for 12 years or learning she was under investigation for stealing $99,000 in a tuition-reimbursement scheme, The Colorado Sun has learned.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results and Wikipedia entries discuss general topics related to behavioral health administration or mention various states/agencies, but none of the evidence sources corroborate the specific details of this claim: that the Behavioral Health Administration hired a deputy commissioner without checking with her former nonprofit employer or learning of her investigation into stealing $99,000. The evidence is not specific enough to confirm this detailed allegation.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) is a state agency of Hawaiʻi, with its headquarters in Honolulu CDP, Honolulu County, on the island of Oʻahu. The Hawai'i Department of Health is organized …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Department_of_Health
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Health administration, healthcare administration, healthcare management, health services management or hospital management is the field relating to leadership, management, and administration of public…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_administration
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA; pronounced ) is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). SAMHSA is charged with improving the quality…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_Abuse_and_Mental_Hea…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Lindsay Salas, who was hired in November as a deputy behavioral health commissioner at the 4-year-old state agency, worked there until Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office revealed this week that Salas doctored tuition reimbursement records to take $99,000 while she was head of CASA of Adams and Broomfield counties.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results consistently report that Attorney General Phil Weiser announced a settlement with Lindsay Salas regarding fraudulently obtaining nearly $100,000 by submitting false tuition invoices. This corroborates the core elements of the claim, although the specific details about her role at CASA are drawn from the context of the search results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 United States House of Representatives elections are scheduled to be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, as part of the 2026 midterm elections during President Donald Trump's second nonconsecu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Re…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of notable deaths in November 2024. Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence: Name, age, country …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_November_2024
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. Trump, a Republican, previously served as the 45th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_presidency_of_Donald_Tr…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The nonprofit, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, trains volunteers to stick up for abused and neglected children throughout the court and foster care process.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results and Wikipedia entries confirm that CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is a national organization that trains volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in court and foster care settings.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Casa or CASA may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a national organization in the United States that supports and promotes the use of trained volunteers to advocate for children who have experienced abuse or…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_Appointed_Special_Advoca…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a nonprofit public charity dedicated to finding permanent homes for children waiting in foster care in the United States and Canada. Created in 1992 by Wendy…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Thomas_Foundation_for_Ado…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Salas agreed to a civil settlement to return $66,000 of the money, which the attorney general said she pocketed by taking advantage of one of the nonprofit’s top donors who had agreed to pay for her tuition at the University of Denver.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim specifies that Salas agreed to a civil settlement to return $66,000, money allegedly taken from a top donor paying for her tuition at the University of Denver. While the evidence confirms a settlement regarding misused funds (Claim 1) and mentions tuition reimbursement, the specific figure of $66,000 and the detail about the University of Denver donor are not independently corroborated by the provided search results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alfred Albert Arraj (September 1, 1906 – October 23, 1992) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_A._Arraj
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jean Sala Breitenstein (July 18, 1900 – January 30, 1986) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and previously was a United States district judg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Sala_Breitenstein
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Northern Colorado is a public university in Greeley, Colorado. The university was called the State Normal School of Colorado from 1889 to 1935, Colorado State College of Education at…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_Northern…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“The scheme was “first identified internally” by CASA in January 2025, and its board of directors launched their own review, consulted a lawyer and hired an outside forensic accounting firm to investigate, said Cathy Lucas, a spokesperson for the regional nonprofit.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim states that CASA first identified the scheme internally in January 2025, leading the board to conduct a review, consult a lawyer, and hire a forensic accounting firm. This level of detail regarding the timeline (January 2025) and the internal steps taken is only present in the context of the original claim and is not corroborated by the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Casa Pia Atlético Clube, commonly known as Casa Pia, is a Portuguese multi-sports club founded in 1920 and based in Lisbon, Portugal, best known for its professional football team, that competes in th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Pia_A.C.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The fourth season of the American Spanish-language reality television series La casa de los famosos premiered on January 23, 2024, with a live move-in on Telemundo. The show follows a group of celebri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_casa_de_los_famosos_season_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The sixth season of the American Spanish-language reality television series La casa de los famosos premiered on February 17, 2026, with a live move-in on Telemundo. The show follows a group of celebri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_casa_de_los_famosos_season_…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Salas was on leave during the internal investigation.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim states that Salas was on leave during the internal investigation at CASA. This specific detail is not found in the provided evidence, which is limited to general background information or other unrelated topics.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — My car was towed last night during the parking ban and I'm going to fucking sue you, the police department, and the entire county—" "Sir, if you would like to leave a formal complaint—" "Shut the fuck…
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2217733963/permalink/1016376…
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web search NEUTRAL — United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General
https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/I-2004-0…
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web search NEUTRAL — Investopedia is the world's leading source of financial content on the web, ranging from market news to retirement strategies, investing education to insights from advisors.
https://www.investopedia.com/
info
“She resigned from CASA in May and the findings of CASA’s review were turned over to the Attorney General’s Office in July, Lucas said.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim specifies that Salas resigned from CASA in May and that CASA turned over the findings of its review to the Attorney General’s Office in July. These specific dates and actions are not corroborated by the provided evidence.
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web search NEUTRAL — The attorney general also oversees regional federal prosecutors, known as US attorneys, across the country. “She is certainly qualified for the position on paper,” David Weinstein, a former federal pr…
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/22/who-is-pam-bondi-t…
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web search NEUTRAL — the POR house next up I'm going to try turning sunmade raisins into junk food...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTIiv4J_IAw
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web search NEUTRAL — Pam Bondi is an American lawyer who serves as the U.S. attorney general (2025– ) in the Republican administration of Pres. Donald Trump. Bondi previously made history as the first female attorney gene…
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pam-Bondi
info
“Salas was hired for the high-level job at the state Behavioral Health Administration in November, three months after the state Attorney General’s Office learned of the theft allegations.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim specifies that Salas was hired in November, three months after the state Attorney General’s Office learned of the theft allegations. This precise timeline linking the hiring date to the discovery date is not corroborated by the provided evidence.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the President and to the heads of the executive departments of the Government when so requ…
https://www.justice.gov/ag
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web search NEUTRAL — Mono County Behavioral Health invites all community members to visit our wellness centers in Walker or Mammoth Lakes. These centers host a variety of free activities each week, including yoga, support…
https://monocounty.ca.gov/behavioral-health
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web search NEUTRAL — Offices and Administrations. Office of the Secretary.The virus can remain in the air for up to two hours after the infected person leaves the area. The disease is also spread by direct contact and aft…
https://health.maryland.gov/newsroom/Pages/One+case+of+measl…
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““CASA has had no communication with BHA,” Lucas told The Sun when asked whether the nonprofit had ever provided a reference check to the state regarding Salas’ job performance.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries regarding CASA's communication with the BHA regarding a reference check for Salas.
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“The nonprofit, however, “cooperated fully” with the attorney general’s investigation and “will continue to do so as any remaining legal proceedings move forward.””
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries regarding the nonprofit's statement about cooperating fully with the attorney general's investigation.
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“The nonprofit also established a financial controls subcommittee to strengthen its policies and made other policy changes to “reinforce accountability and stewardship moving forward,” Lucas said via email.”
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““No general programmatic funding or donor contributions supporting CASA’s mission were affected beyond this specific matter,” she said. “Our focus remains on serving children and families in Adams and Broomfield counties.””
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““Investigations by the attorney general’s office are confidential, and it is not the office’s practice to inform employers if an employee is the subject of an investigation,” Lawrence Pacheco said.”
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“The BHA, through email, said Salas started her job as deputy commissioner of administration Nov. 17 and that she is now on administrative leave.”
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““During the hiring process BHA followed state hiring policies, including a background check which did not reveal anything concerning. All hiring decisions are made by the hiring manager, which in this case was the BHA Commissioner. Because this is a personnel issue, we have no further comment at this time.””
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“The first leader of the new Behavioral Health Administration was gone after about one year and later sued Polis and other state officials alleging racial discrimination.”
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“Dr. Morgan Medlock, a public health expert who had previously been chief medical officer for the Washington, D.C., Department of Behavioral Health, claimed in a lawsuit that she was fired because of her race.”
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“The second BHA commissioner, Dannette Smith, stepped down in February after a 35-year career in behavioral health.”
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“Stephanie Beasley is the current deputy executive director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood and previously oversaw child welfare services in Indiana.”
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“Polis announced plans to create the Behavioral Health Administration in 2020 at the recommendation of a task force that had met for the previous year.”
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“The group called for a centralized office for mental health to replace the splintered system that included 75 programs spread across three state agencies.”
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“The BHA opened in July 2022.”
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“The attorney general’s staff found that Salas, who worked at CASA from 2013 until last year, violated the Colorado Consumer Protection Act and the Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act.”
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“A top donor had offered to cover Salas’ tuition at DU so she could get a master’s degree, and Salas falsified tuition invoices in 2023 and 2024 that led to the donor paying $99,000 beyond the actual cost of tuition.”
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“DU refunded the money in several payments over two years to Salas, the state investigation found.”
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“Salas is barred from handling charitable donations for five years, according to the settlement.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.