MORGAN CITY, La. (AP) — The state attorney general has taken over the investigation of contracting in a St. Mary Parish drainage district.

Attorney General's Office spokesman Steven Hartmann tells KATC-TV that the local district attorney recused himself.

Prosecutors in St. Mary Parish asked the Legislative Auditor's Office to examine the St. Mary Parish Consolidated Gravity Drainage District No. 2 after getting a tip about questionable contracting practices.

The audit, released Monday, says former maintenance supervisor Peter Businelle directed more than $2.6 million in drainage district money to his welding business from 2009 through 2013, supposedly to pay for things like grass cutting and maintenance.

During the same time, Businelle paid former district chairman Carl Kraemer more than $42,000. About $11,000 of equipment purchased by the district can't be found by current district officials.

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