Eldridge City Clerk Denise Benson charged thousands of dollars worth of personal purchases to city credit cards, public records show.
Benson purchased hundreds of items from online retail giant Amazon, including horse brushes and halters, women’s swimwear and shoes, dog collars, and kids’ toys and gifts, billing them to the city over the course of 10 years.
Many of the purchases, according to public records obtained by the Quad-City Times, were shipped to her Long Grove home.
Among her purchases, records show, Benson bought two battery-powered pink Barbie-themed quads — mini-utility vehicles for kids — for $95.79 each. Those were shipped to her home in August 2017.
Two years earlier, Benson bought three custom-printed hooded sweatshirts that said “It’s a BENSON Thing You Wouldn’t Understand!” for a total of $123.97, delivered to city hall, marked as ATTN Denise Benson.
People are also reading…
She appeared to have escalated her purchasing in 2016, buying one or more personal items nearly every month until this year.
Among Benson’s 2022 Amazon purchases with a city credit card were hemp gummies, women’s sandals, summer tops and fashion boots, as well as a dog harness…
