Idaho Department of Finance requests six new examiners to address rising cyber and elder-fraud cases; governor omits two investigator posts

The Idaho Department of Finance told the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee on Jan. 21 that it is seeking six full‑time positions and $816,600 in ongoing funding for fiscal 2026 to expand information‑technology, examination and forensic capacity.

Noah Peterson, a budget and policy analyst with the legislative services office, said the department’s enhancement packet lists six positions and corresponding one‑time capital costs. The requested positions include an IT examiner and a general financial examiner for the Financial Institutions Bureau; two financial investigator 3 positions focused on IT examinations for mortgage and consumer services; a cybersecurity‑specialized investigator for the Securities Bureau; and a forensic accounting specialist for the Securities Bureau. The packet also includes one‑time capital costs for Office of Information Technology Services hardware totaling $52,600.

The governor’s recommendation, Peterson said, would fund the requests except for line item 3: “the two financial investigator 3 positions for the Consumer Finance Bureau,” which the governor did not recommend.

Patty Perkins, director of the Department of Finance, told the committee the additional examiners are intended to respond to growing cybercrime and fraud that often targets elderly Idahoans. “There is a huge increase in cybercrime,” Perkins said. She described work with the Idaho State Police and prosecutors to “follow the money,” and said some cases—especially those involving cryptocurrency—require specialized technical tools and expertise that the department’s current small investigation staff lacks. “We have a small investigation staff and so we are looking to build that up,” Perkins said.

Senator Wintrow and Senator Cook pressed for measurable data to justify adding positions. Senator Wintrow said staff in the department had shown her cases of financial exploitation of elders and asked for case counts, workload figures and examples of outcomes. Senator Cook asked for baseline metrics to enable year‑over‑year measurement of return on investment if FTPs are approved. Perkins agreed to provide the committee with more detailed information and case data at a later date.

Peterson outlined salary targets in the request: the IT examiner and a financial examiner are budgeted at $121,300 (100% of policy, salary grade P); investigator‑level positions are budgeted at $82,500 (100% of policy, salary grade M) for the investigator roles described; and laptop and field monitor costs were recommended by OITS.

No formal action or vote occurred on the enhancement requests during the hearing. Committee members asked the agency to provide supporting workload and outcome data before the panel takes further budget action.

Looking ahead, Perkins said the department supports the governor’s recommendation overall and will work with committee staff to supply the requested metrics. “We’ll get that together for you,” she told Senator Wintrow.

The department’s requests and the governor’s recommendation will be considered later in JFAC’s budget process; no vote was taken at the Jan. 21 meeting.