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Lottery Whistleblower Fired and Left Stranded in Missouri!

After testifying before the legislature that the Lottery Commission and its director, John Musgrave, had engaged in illegal activities, Mia Moran-Cooper was fired and left stranded in Kansas City, Missouri.

Wow!  If we weren't already suspicious of the Lottery Commission's actions, now we definitely are. 

To fire someone for alleging improper conduct brings back memories of the Enron corporate scandal where whistleblowers were fired for bringing to light the executive officers’ illegal conduct. 

Not only did Moran-Cooper get fired, but she was left stranded 1,000 miles away!  If this isn't illegally, it is certainly immoral and overwhelmingly suspicious.

According to the Associated Press, some of her claims are already being substantiated by emails she is providing to the investigation into her allegations.

It seems odd that such an outrageous firing would occur shortly after her claims and the evidence to support those claims turn up. 

We, as legislators, definitely need to find out if this action is even legal.  If this firing isn't, then all responsible should be prosecuted.  Second, we need to put pressure on the Governor to halt the move of the Problem Gamblers Help Network to the Lottery Commission's control. 

This egregious and atrocious action should send red flags up to all members of the legislature as well as the Governor.

For more background on this unbelievable story, read my summary below.

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On Tuesday, Mia Moran-Cooper accused the Lottery Commission under the supervision of Director John Musgrave of harassing the employees of the Problem Gamblers Help Network, for illegally posting its logo on billboards that were strictly for advertising the Problem Gamblers Hotline, and for attempting to unlawfully coerce counselors to reveal the names of Lottery Commission employees receiving treatment at the Help Network.

These scathing allegations came after several weeks of publicity surrounding the move of the Problem Gamblers Help Network from the control and supervision of the Department of Health and Human Resources to that of the Lottery Commission’s.

Mia Moran-Cooper is the long-time director of the Help Network, which is run by the for-profit First Choice Health Systems. She, along with numerous legislators, problem gambling counselors, and members of the clergy, have all expressed serious concern over moving this highly successful program to under the control and command of the Lottery Commission. Moran-Cooper put in her resignation and planned on leaving at the end of the month.

Many have equated this alarming move as like “putting the fox back in the henhouse,” while supporters of the move claim it is merely “administrative.” The apparent conflict-of-interest that arises from the Lottery Commission controlling a program that is designed to help people stop gambling led to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to have Mia Moran-Cooper testify before them on Tuesday.

Immediately after her shocking allegations, Lottery Director John Musgrave asked for an investigation into Moran-Cooper’s testimony. Upon which Moran-Cooper supported and began supplying emails to reinforce her claims. According to the AP, these emails seemed to support some of her claims.

On Wednesday, Moran-Cooper headed to Kansas City, Missouri to attend a national conference on problem gambling when she found that her hotel room and corporate credit card had been cancelled. At which point, she realized she had been fired and would have to leave the conference several days early.

“I’ve gone from being a stellar employee to a non-employee with no credit card,” stated Moran-Cooper.