About $500,000 in wasted expenses was one of many revelations in a report released Monday following a months long investigation into allegations of misconduct by Richmond’s General Registrar Keith Balmer and the Office of Elections. The report, completed by the Richmond Office of the Inspector General led by James Osuna, cites Balmer and the office with 25 counts of waste, fraud and abuse of city funds, resources and authority.

The investigation began after Osuna’s office received allegations of misconduct and nepotism by Balmer. The nepotism allegations were referred to and investigated by the City of Richmond Department of Human Resources, who found multiple family members of Balmer and deputy registrar Jerry Richardson were employed in the office in violation of city policies.

Among the substantiated allegations in Osuna’s report, Balmer and the Office of Elections used city-issued procurement cards for non-city business and non-essential matters, didn’t report harassment and domestic violence in the workplace and paid Balmer’s spouse for consulting services.

Notable purchases by Balmer and department employees include high-priced furniture, artwork, private security services, college tuition for two employees and the remodeling of their leased office building.

The sole unsubstantiated claim found by Osuna’s investigation was an allegation that Balmer purchased a Ford Explorer for the department without authorization and removed the City logos in violation of policy and procedure.

In a statement, Richmond City Council said the report “raises serious concerns,” and called on the Richmond Electoral Board “to thoroughly review and respond to the findings.”

For Richmond Electoral Board Chair Starlet Stevens, who began looking into the matter in the spring, the report confirmed her own findings but nonetheless left her disappointed in Balmer, who she had a longtime friendship with and supported his application for the position.

“I’ve known [Keith] for many years and generally liked him,” Stevens said. “Right now, I don’t like what he’s done. I think he’s compromised that office, compromised the elections community, in many ways.”

The Electoral Board is set to meet at City Hall next Wednesday, Dec. 4, according to Stevens, and will include a closed session on the report between board members, Osuna and Balmer as part of the proceedings.

“I will be addressing this IG report in the coming days,” Balmer said in a post Tuesday on an Office of Elections social media account. “And I got a lot to say.”