ST. LOUIS—After a recent audit of the city’s tow lot revealed more than $80,000 was missing and more than 500 vehicles were unaccounted for over a two-year period ending last fall, St. Louis comptroller Donna Baringer said Friday she was forwarding that report to federal prosecutors and was ready to provide more information.

“Given the gravity of these findings and our commitment to upholding the highest standards of financial accountability, it is our fiduciary duty to formally report these matters, which could potentially constitute criminal offenses. Established accounting practices andprocedures mandate such a disclosure when faced with discrepancies of this magnitude,” Baringer said in a Thursday letter to Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith, the federal prosecutor who oversees public corruption cases in the Eastern District of Missouri.

The letter pledges her office’s full cooperation in what she described a “forthcoming investigation” from Goldsmith, and said her office had other information “that we believe will be highly relevant and beneficial to your investigation.”

"We regularly receive information from the public, law enforcement and others, but we can neither confirm nor deny whether we have received any specific information," a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office said in a statement. "We can also neither confirm nor deny whether any investigation exists.”

The audit was published to the city’s website in late March, ahead of the April municipal elections that saw Baringer defeat longtime comptroller Darlene Green and Cara Spencer defeat Tishaura Jones in the race for mayor.

Spencer and Baringer were sworn into their new offices on April 15.

The city tow lot falls under the jurisdiction of the St. Louis Strees Department. Earlier this week Betherny Williams, who led the department during the Jones administration, resigned, and will be replaced on an interim basis by Jim Suelmann, who served in the same role from 1985 until 2006. He starts on Monday.

Williams said in the audit that changes had been made.

“We are aware that any level of risk poses impact on the city, and we are working to continue our measurable growth. Since the years reflected in the audit processes, procedures, staff and morale have improved. We do believe that significant change has been made at CIty Tow and we are committed to increase the level of service as we reduce risk,” she wrote.

The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.