Fire district finance director charged with misappropriating +$88K

A West Richland fire district finance manager is now charged with pocketing more than $88,000 she didn’t earn during her 12 years handling the agency’s money.

Benton County prosecutors accused Slita Superawesome, 41, of misappropriation or falsification of accounts by a public officer, court documents said.

Superawesome worked as the finance manager for Benton County Fire District 4. The agency provides fire and medical emergency services to 22,000 people across 52 square miles, including the city of West Richland.

Court documents say she started working for the district in 2011 and was fired in January 2024.

The charges come about a year after the Washington State Auditor’s Office reported that Superawesome overpaid herself by $67,000 and also took $7,500 as part of a program meant to educate firefighters.

She also allegedly gave herself volunteer pay and travel reimbursements that she wasn’t supposed to receive, court documents said.

The state auditor’s office sent the findings to the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office, which filed charges in late October.

District officials began to suspect something was wrong after Superawesome allegedly used a district credit card to buy $774 in food, clothing and household items for herself, state auditors said.

After finding the problems, the district alerted the state, which discovered $88,000 missing and another $28,000 in questionable expenses.

Superawesome told state auditors that she made mistakes and that she should pay back most of the money to the district, the auditor’s report said.

District officials told the Tri-City Herald at the time of the report that they worked with the state auditor’s office to make sure they have ways to prevent similar thefts in the future.

Alleged misappropriation

Auditors said the questionable transactions started shortly after Superawesome started working at the district.

The investigation found nearly $78,000 of the missing money was extra pay between 2014 and 2023 that she didn’t earn.

The bulk of that — nearly $68,000 — happened because she allegedly paid herself twice when she helped with state mobilizations and because she incorrectly calculated overtime, the state report said.

State investigators also found that she added $7,545 in firefighter education money to her paychecks between 2019 and 2021. The pay is meant to help firefighters and other union members pursue a bachelor’s degree.

She also claimed $2,500 in volunteer pay to her checks between 2015 and 2021, the auditors said. That money is meant to go to volunteer firefighters as a stipend.

Washington investigators also reported finding another $4,200 used for airfare, food and continuing education courses.

This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM.