"He told me it was none of my business," the employee, who oversaw the program for most of 2002 and 2003, told The Salt Lake Tribune through tears. "He threatened me a lot."

Tuesday's revelation prompted the mayor's office not only to grant the employee whistle-blower status but also to request a criminal investigation of personnel director Felix McGowan by the District Attorney's Office.

"It's going to be under our investigative unit," said Valerie Wilde, a deputy district attorney who confirmed that meetings to launch the probe already have been scheduled. "It's a performance issue. Was Felix McGowan doing his job?"

Written statements provided to the mayor's office and The Tribune by the whistle-blower - who is not being named because she fears retribution - suggest McGowan was not.

For instance: When raising questions about individual tuition applications, the employee was told by supervisor Lisa Funderburk, "It doesn't matter. . . . No one ever checks our work anyway," the documents state.

And when the employee told payroll chief LeAnne Sarver in the auditor's office in 2003 the program should be changed to a "true" reimbursement program, she says McGowan verbally reprimanded her.

"I was told then by him that I was not allowed to go over his head," she said in her statement. "He wrote the policies."

McGowan was shocked Tuesday when told of the allegations and criminal inquiry.

"It's very unprofessional," he said after a long pause. "It's very, very sad."

And it could get worse. Two more employees - one from personnel and one from the auditor's office - have scheduled whistle-blower meetings with the mayor's office this week.

"If the allegations are true, it looks like a blatant disregard for county policy and procedure," said Doug Willmore, chief administrative officer, who will oversee an independent investigation and may decide any disciplinary moves. "These are glaring actions."

The district attorney's latest involvement follows a just-launched criminal probe to find county employees who accepted outside financial aid and county tuition assistance. Such "double dipping" surfaced in a recent audit that outlines rampant abuses of the Tuition Assistance Program. Thousands of county employees accepted up-front tuition money in their regular paychecks. But hundreds dropped their college classes or failed to submit grades. The auditor's office has estimated at least $100,000 in tax money was squandered.

Beginning April 30, the county will return to reimbursing employees for college tuition only after they complete their courses.

Meantime, the mayor's office has asked the DA to investigate McGowan and Funderburk, the tuition coordinator who accepted county funds six times for classes she dropped. Payroll records show she once owed $1,357.13 while still applying for and receiving tuition cash. According to the whistle-blower, Funderburk bragged several times the system is "a great personal loan program."

As the fresh allegations unfurled Tuesday, caterers in the County Government Center assembled punch and cookies for a National County Government Week reception. In light of last year's scandals - including vehicle and hiring abuses by top county officials - the ceremony was tailored to honor "County Heroes" - the rank-and-file employees and volunteers.

Before the party, Auditor Sean Thomas said the tuition program "obviously" warrants further investigation and offered his staff as support.

"Ultimately, it's personnel's responsibility to make sure checks and balances have been met. Clearly, they've not been," said Thomas, who replaced longtime Auditor Craig Sorensen after the latter resigned when he admitted to stealing gas on his county credit credit.

The whistle-blower insists tuition files were "a mess" when she filled in for Funderburk, who left for maternity leave but was recently reinstated.

When the whistle-blower sent a form letter to derelict tuition recipients calling for "immediate" reimbursement - the policy calls for repayment within 30 days if an employee fails to complete a class - McGowan allegedly called the move "heavy-handed."

He later stripped the employee of her tuition duties.

"She wasn't happy when I told her that's not the way we operate," said McGowan, who denied making threats and doesn't recall any verbal reprimands. "That's not the philosophy of our program."

But Kevin Schofield, who is representing the whistle-blower as executive director of the Utah Alliance of Government Employees, calls McGowan's actions an "absolute abuse of power."

"There was plenty of knowledge before this blew up," Schofield said. "For him to say he wasn't aware is negligence."

djensen@sltrib.com

About S.L. County tuition program

* Salt Lake County pays 75 percent of college tuition for employees as long as they maintain a C average.

* In 1990, the then-County Commission altered the reimbursement program to offer the money upfront in employees' paychecks. The move was designed to aid low-income workers and single mothers but was extended to all employees.

* For the past 11 years, Personnel Director Felix McGowan has overseen the program.