OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Four employees of the Oklahoma State Department of Health sounded the first alarms about dire financial problems at the agency when they approached auditors conducting a routine review of the agency in early August, State Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones told lawmakers on Thursday.

Jones said he first learned of the problems when the workers told his auditors that they wanted to revise their fraud statements, a routine practice in which Jones says auditors ask employees if they are aware of any potential fraud or financial wrongdoing.

"That pretty much opened up the floodg...