MCKINNEY (WBAP/KLIF)- Collin County’s District Clerk is suspended from from handling new passport applications because of a 5-year passport fraud investigation in Plano and McKinney over documents dating back to almost a decade ago. District Clerk Lynne Finley said they are cooperating with the investigation and have done nothing wrong. “Somewhere along the lines something could be switched out, photos could be switched out but not in our office,” Finley said.
The suspension by the Dallas Passport Agency, took effect December 21st. Finley said despite how her office is handling it and has been cleared of procedural missteps, both offices remain shut down. Finley said she’s reached out to the Dallas Passport Agency they have been promising a letter and response to when the suspension will be lifted.”We haven’t heard anything… the last we heard it could be later this week or next week they keep blowing us off,” Finley said.
Meanwhile, Collin County residents must now make other arrangements at offices in surrounding counties or at local post offices if they need passports to travel. No other counties’ passport offices have been suspended in relation to this investigation.
Finley says she’s given some suggestions to stop fraud in the future, like requiring a signature on the back of a picture from the clerk so that during the process a picture can’t get switched out. She also said to possibly make the envelope harder to tamper with but all requests have been shut down.
No word on when the suspension will be lifted.
