The Minnesota Senate terminated the employment of its controller Wednesday morning, a day after she was charged with “theft by swindle” for actions in a previous job.
“These charges were not related to her employment at the Senate,” Cal Ludeman, the secretary of the Senate, said in a statement.
The Hennepin County charges allege Trudi Ruzich, who started work in the Senate four months ago, wrote herself at least $10,000 worth of checks between May and June of last year when working with a medical clinic, according to the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune, which first reported on Ruzich’s firing. The checks were recorded as being written to others.
Ludeman said the Senate checked references and did a background check on Ruzich before hiring her. She passed those since the charges were not filed until Tuesday.
Starting Wednesday morning, the Senate worked with state officials to do a forensic analysis of the budget and personal data to which Ruzich had access. As of Wednesday evening, the team found nothing untoward, Ludeman said.
Ruzich’s job and hiring was nonpartisan, Ludeman said.
As secretary of the senate, Ludeman got to know Ruzich as she handled Senate business.
“I thought she was first-rate, doing a good job,” he said. He said when he told her she would be fired because of the charges, “she got it right away.”
Ruzich could not be reached for comment.