Preliminary results from an audit of Alabama State University have been released by Governor Bentley's office, and perhaps the most damning allegation is that the auditors were blocked in their investigation.
  

      The audit also claims to have found instances of board members using their influence to have family members hired for ASU work.
     The Governor is forwarding the results of the audit to the Alabama Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney's office for consideration. Some people could be going to jail by the time this ends.
     The lawyer for ASU and Interim President William Harris are pushing back this evening with a release of their own, denying any violations of law.  They also say Bentley violated a written agreement not to release the audit results until ASU officials had seen them.
     Bentley may seek the removal of board members Marvin Wiggins and Elton Dean after the audit claimed Dean arranged for payments to a women with whom he is alleged to have had a relationship...and Wiggins for arranging for the hiring of numerous family members.
     The whole ASU mess started after the building of the University's new $62-Million football stadium and hiring of a new President Joseph Silver, a president who was paid almost $700k to leave months after he arrived, after he said ASU officials were refusing to share financial information with him.
      All of this has the scent or stink, if you will, of a racial conflict. State Representative and ASU CEO John Knight told the Montgomery Advertiser last week:

Alabama Attorney General's Offices

“Let me tell you what it is (people are saying): There’s no way that African Americans in Montgomery, Ala., can manage that kind of money ($250 million) without taking some,” Knight said. “That’s basically what you hear.” 

      Virtually everyone on the ASU side is African-American. 
      Virtually everyone on the Bentley side is white. 
      This is Montgomery, Alabama, and there is no way it will not be perceived as racial.