RICHMOND -- A lengthy investigation into the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries found numerous instances of improper spending and improper personnel action within the agency, and has prompted the resignation of the agency's director.

Bill Woodfin submitted his resignation before Tuesday's specially convened board meeting, during which state internal auditor Merritt Cogswell released his findings in a 52-page report.

Woodfin did not attend the meeting.

The board, some members of which expressed continued support and appreciation for Woodfin, appointed retired Virginia State Police superintendent Gerald Massengill as the agency's acting director.

The board also endorsed most aspects of an ambitious corrective plan presented by Tayloe Murphy. Virginia's secretary of natural resources, Murphy ultimately oversees the game department, a 400-plus employee agency that manages the state's inland fishing, wildlife and boating programs.

Implementing better financial oversight and more clearly defined policies and procedures were among Murphy's recommendations. He also suggested restructuring agency leadership.

"Nobody knows who's in control," Murphy said.

Board chairwoman Sherry Crumley of Buchanan said that most of the problems uncovered during the investigation were not the board's fault, but agreed that the board could have done better.

"We have not been as responsible as we obviously should have been," Crumley said. "We will change that."

Woodfin is the second casualty of the scandal. Former board chairman Dan Hoffler of Eastville resigned in March. Department spokeswoman Julia Dixon said she wasn't aware of any other department employees resigning as a result of the investigation.

Murphy's action plan requires the agency's director to address many of the report's findings and take personnel action as necessary.

The inquiry was set in motion in late 2004 after information uncovered though a citizen's Freedom of Information Act request was used to support a detailed complaint to a state fraud, waste and abuse hotline.

Cogswell said the investigation substantiated 24 of 29 allegations. Two allegations were inconclusive and three were unsubstantiated.

Cogswell's report found fault with many purchases made by agency employees, including gear used on an African safari by Woodfin and senior game wardens Terry Bradbery and Mike Caison. The three took the trip with Hoffler, who covered the cost of the trip when Murphy refused to approve a request for state funding.

The gear, including bulletproof rifle cases, shoes, boots, hats, cameras and DVD players, cost $11,532.46, according to the report.

At Hoffler's urging, members of the board later chipped in $14,600 to cover the costs.

The report also found that department employees spent 131 hours editing videotape taken during a privately financed hunting trip Hoffler took to Africa in 2003. The work cost the department an estimated $4,200. In January, Hoffler paid $500 to cover the costs of the DVDs that were produced.

Travel to multiple shooting- and hunting-related conventions at a cost of $22,000 also was called into question. The report noted that while some such travel is warranted, it was inappropriate for the same department leaders to attend multiple conferences.

Cogswell found that a complaint about two wardens attending an anti-terrorism training camp in Israel was unsubstantiated, as was a complaint regarding expenses related to Caison's travel between his home on the Eastern Shore and the department's Richmond headquarters.

The investigation also confirmed instances of intimidation, retaliation or threatened retaliation against employees who were cooperating with the investigation, or who were suspected of providing information relating to FOIA requests.

Crumley and several other board members disagreed with Murphy's suggestion that Gov. Mark Warner consider submitting legislation to change the board's responsibilities. Changing from what is considered a supervisory board into a policy board would enable the board to continue setting fish and game regulations, but would remove its responsibility for hiring and firing the agency's director. Under Murphy's suggestion, the director would become a political appointee.

"Secretary Murphy's proposed legislation should scare sportsmen to death," said Crumley, who said it opened the door for a governor with anti-hunting leanings to appoint an anti-hunter to head the agency.

But former board chairman Carson Quarles of Roanoke said he wasn't surprised by Murphy's suggestion.

"It's hard to argue with it, given the way the board has overseen the director," said Quarles, one of several former board members who has called for Woodfin's resignation. Massengill said his goal was to get the department moving toward the future.

"I'll give prompt attention to the personnel matters," he said. "It's very important to me to do everything fairly, promptly and in such a manner that it will pass the test of time."

A special board subcommittee was formed to oversee the search for a permanent replacement for Woodfin.

The board typically meets quarterly, but probably will meet monthly for the rest of the year, Crumley said.

The department already has addressed one problem cited in the report: dissolving an "executive protection unit" of game wardens formed to provide security for department leaders. Among other things, the unit was employed to provide security last fall during Hoffler's annual Eastern Shore dove hunt.

After voting to accept Woodfin's resignation, board member Jimmy Hazel said he hoped that people who have been critical of the department were satisfied.

"You've got your trophies for your wall now," Hazel said. "I hope that's enough."

Lee Albright, a retired optometrist from Montebello who used the FOIA to uncover many documents used in the investigation, took exception to the comment. He said that his concern was establishing accountability among the department's leaders.

"We're supporters of the department," Albright said. "If they think this is about seeking trophies, they missed the significance of what's going on."

Some of the most serious issues noted in auditor's report:

The board did not adequately perform due diligence and fiduciary responsibilities.

Lack of documented policies and procedures.

Managers overriding policies and procedures.

Retaliation and intimidation meted out against employees.

Use of state property for personal use.

Potential conflict of interest between the board chair and agency employees.