Special Investigations

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COLUMBUS – The Delaware County Grand Jury has returned an indictment against the former utility clerk for the Village of Ashley in the alleged theft of utility payments.

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COLUMBUS — The former executive director of the Eastern Ohio Housing Development Corp. in Bridgeport was sentenced to 4 years and 11 months in prison Monday in the theft of more than $2.3 million, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.

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COLUMBUS — The Richland County Grand Jury has returned indictments against the former executive director for the Richland County Board of Mental Health and Addiction Services (RCMH) and a former board member following an investigation into improper contracting.

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COLUMBUS – A finding for recovery of $127,771.62 was issued Thursday against the former utility clerk for the Village of Byesville, who was convicted in the theft of more than $43,000 from the Guernsey County community.

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COLUMBUS – A finding for recovery of $1,585.65 was issued Thursday against the former fiscal officer for Vinton Township in Vinton County over interest and penalties from late payments.

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COLUMBUS — The Belmont County Grand Jury handed down an 11-count indictment against the former executive director of the Eastern Ohio Housing Development Corp. in Bridgeport over the alleged theft of more than $2 million.

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COLUMBUS – The Scioto County Grand Jury handed down indictments Friday against the head of the Southern Ohio Port Authority and his wife, alleging they received bribes in return for awarding public contracts, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.

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COLUMBUS – A special audit released Thursday details the criminal case against the former chief of the Crestline Fire Department, who was convicted after investigators determined he was paid for the same hours he worked at a state agency and local fire departments.

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COLUMBUS – Findings for recovery of $103,606.31 were issued Tuesday against a former Blendon Township administrator over improper compensation and misuse of a township credit card, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.

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COLUMBUS – The Montgomery County Grand Jury handed down a 12-count indictment Wednesday against Clerk of Courts Mike Foley and Municipal Judge James Piergies, after an investigation uncovered alleged improper political and other activities involving public resources, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced. 

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COLUMBUS – Auditor of State Keith Faber presented a Public Integrity Award Tuesday to Delaware County Prosecutor Melissa A. Schiffel for her involvement in the investigation of the alleged theft of $2.3 million from the Columbus Zoo.

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COLUMBUS – On Thursday, the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit, along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Computer Crimes Unit, the U.S. Secret Service, the Coumbus Division of Police’s Digital Forensics Unit, and the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, executed a search warrant related to ongoing investigations concerning Eastern Gateway Community College in Steubenville. 

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COLUMBUS – The Jefferson County Grand Jury returned indictments against two former officials at Eastern Gateway Community College (EGCC), following allegations that they used college credit cards for purchases not related to the operations of the school.

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COLUMBUS – A former Vinton Township fiscal officer, convicted of theft in office and other criminal counts, used public funds to buy a wildebeest, two owls, windows for a primate exhibit at his roadside zoo, hot tubs, a snow cone machine, and other personal purchases that had nothing to do with the operations of the township.

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Columbus – The former financial secretary/fiscal officer of the Hartford Independent Agricultural Society in Licking County has been indicted on theft and related counts, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced Tuesday.

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Columbus – The former Fiscal Officer for the Village of Risingsun has pleaded guilty to a single count of theft in office (a third-degree felony) following an investigation by the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit.

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Columbus – The former head of the Pike County Convention and Visitors Bureau pleaded guilty Tuesday in Pike County Common Pleas Court to two criminal counts in the theft of more than $6,800, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.

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Columbus – A finding for recovery was issued against a former Licking Heights Local Schools dispatcher and secretary convicted of stealing money meant to cover criminal background checks of District employees, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced Thursday.

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Columbus – A finding for recovery of $61,028 has been issued against the former mayor’s court clerk for Elmwood Place in Hamilton County, who was convicted for stealing $46,920 from the Village, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced Thursday.

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Columbus – A former employee of the Clark County Auditor’s Office, who allegedly stole more than $1.8 million in public funds through a scheme involving phony vendor payments, is facing additional criminal charges, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced Tuesday.

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Columbus – The former superintendent of Springboro Community City Schools in Warren County was ordered to make restitution of more than $2,500 and sentenced to three years of probation after he was convicted of stealing mileage reimbursements from the district, Auditor of State Keith Faber’s Special Investigation Unit announced.

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Columbus – The former deputy auditor of the City of Nelsonville, already in prison on felony convictions after she was caught stealing from the city payroll, was ordered to repay an additional $40,000-plus she admitted pocketing in a separate scheme.

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Auditor Keith Faber’s SIU team investigated the theft and will prosecute the case

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Based on a motion filed by a special prosecutor from Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber’s office, a special commission appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court determined today to suspend David W. Smith from his office as Mayor of the Village of Bridgeport.

As a result of an investigation by Auditor of State Keith Faber’s office, former Youngstown Mayor, Charles Sammarone, pled guilty to two charges of Tampering with Records (F3) and was sentenced to five years of community control and 30 hours community service. 

Based on an investigation by Auditor of State Keith Faber’s Special Investigations Unit, former Village of Junction City (Perry County) Clerk-Treasurer Randi N. Brown was indicted on February 25, 2020 on two counts of Theft in Office (F5), and two counts of Tampering with Records (F3).

Based on an investigation by Auditor of State Keith Faber’s Special Investigations Unit, a Coshocton County grand jury today indicted Former Coshocton County Agricultural Society Secretary Pamela Bordenkircher on one count of Grand Theft (F4) and four counts of Theft (F5). 

Auditor of State Keith Faber today released a special audit and criminal investigation of the City of Bedford (Cuyahoga County). The investigation identified almost $80,000 in monies collected by the city but not deposited into city bank accounts and issued a finding for recovery against former city water department clerks, Linda Yarish and Joan Law.

Based on an investigation by Auditor of State Keith Faber’s Special Investigations Unit, former Village of DeGraff (Logan County) Utility Clerk Jennifer Dearwester was indicted on one count of Theft in Office (F3), one count of Aggravated Theft (F3), and three counts of Tampering with Records (F3).

Based on an investigation by Auditor of State Keith Faber’s Special Investigations Unit, a former Secretary for Delaware City School District, Kim Todd, was charged today with two counts of Theft in Office.

Village of Bridgeport (Belmont County) Mayor, David W. Smith, was indicted last week on one count of Tampering with Records (F3), one count of Theft in Office (F3), and two counts of Conflict of Interest (M1).

Auditor of State Keith Faber found that the City of Youngstown incurred $4,462,662 in inappropriate expenses from the Water, Sewer, and Environmental Sanitation fund.

Auditor Faber issued the following statement:

Columbus – Auditor of State Keith Faber today released the following statement after the Grand Jury indictment of Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader:

A conviction for tampering with records should have disqualified a former City of Struthers (Mahoning County) employee from receiving more than $800 in unemployment benefits, state auditors reported today. 

A state audit released today shows the extent of a theft committed by a former Strongsville City Schools employee who was sentenced in October to nine months in prison. 

A former police chief for the Village of New Vienna was indicted last week for allegedly misusing donations intended for the purchase of a police K-9.

A former program administrator charged with theft in office owes more than $10,000 to the Paulding County Soil and Water Conservation District, state auditors found.

A former secretary who stole $34,400 from the Shawnee Local School District targeted payments made by students and their parents for field trips, yearbooks and other fees. 

Securing and protecting evidence is a necessity for the justice system, and a new manual created jointly by the offices of the Ohio Attorney General and the Auditor of State provides the state’s law enforcement agencies with best practices in the management of property and evidence rooms, Attorney General Mike DeWine and Auditor of State Dave Yost announced today.

A former fiscal officer is facing theft in office charges for allegedly stealing almost $100,000 from Liberty Township in Guernsey County.

A Hamilton County grand jury has indicted the former village manager of Lincoln Heights for theft in office stemming from her alleged misuse of a village credit card and other funds totaling nearly $67,200.

The former program administrator of the Soil and Water Conservation District of Paulding County was indicted on theft in office and tampering with records charges.

A former clerk-treasurer who pleaded guilty to theft in January for stealing from the Village of Mogadore owes an additional $2,300 to the Summit County village, state auditors found. 

The fiscal officer of a disbanded northeast Ohio fire district charged about $12,000 to the district’s credit cards for personal expenses and failed to document another $10,000 in spending, according to a report released today. 

A former St. Clair Township (Columbiana County) police sergeant has been indicted on seven felonies, including theft in office, for falsely claiming overtime. 

Former Somerset Police Chief Jeremy VanDermark was sentenced today to 90 days in the Southeast Ohio Regional Jail for one count of theft in office, a fourth-degree felony, for using the Perry County village’s credit card to pay for personal purchases for his family’s personal vehicles, testosterone supplement and other transactions. The total cost of his improper purchases is nearly $5,737.

An employee of the Shawnee Local School District (Allen County) pleaded guilty today to theft in office and grand theft for stealing more than $56,000 from the district and an affiliated booster organization.

A Fairfield County judge today ordered the fiscal officer of Walnut Township to resign by Oct. 31 for unlawfully recommending her sister for a job with the township. 

Auditor of State Dave Yost today issued about $779,000 in findings for recovery against the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County and seven companies that did business with the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD). 

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Ohio Auditor of State Dave Yost, and Mahoning County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Gains today announced that a Mahoning County grand jury has indicted the former mayor and finance director of Youngstown on public corruption charges. The indictment is part of an ongoing public corruption probe of corrupt activity which includes a Poland, Ohio, businessman who was previously indicted on corruption charges last year.

Former Somerset Police Chief Jeremy VanDermark pleaded guilty today to theft in office for using the Perry County village’s credit card to pay for personal purchases for his family’s personal vehicles, testosterone supplement and other transactions. The total cost of his improper purchases is nearly $5,737.

A former director of the Jefferson Emergency Rescue District (Ashtabula County) will serve two years of probation and repay $1,032 for falsifying his time sheets, a judge ruled recently.

A former employee of the Village of Windham (Portage County) tried to conceal her theft of almost $5,000 by tampering with the village’s utility billing system, according to an audit released today. 

An employee of the Shawnee Local School District (Allen County) is facing theft charges for allegedly stealing more than $56,000 from the district and an affiliated booster organization.

A state audit released today details a theft of almost $175,000 by a former employee of the Lucas County Clerk of Courts office, who was sentenced last week to jail time for theft in office. 

A newly-released audit of Alexandria reveals the extent of a theft committed by the village’s former fiscal officer Laura Vanscoy Andrews.

Former London City Auditor Nicholas Szabo was sentenced this morning to 28 days in jail and two years of probation following his plea of guilty last month to a fourth-degree felony count of theft in office. 

Belmont County Sheriff David Lucas was awarded the Auditor of State’s Public Integrity Award today for the support his office provided during an investigation of York Township. 

A former Strongsville City Schools (Cuyahoga County) employee is facing theft charges after investigators with the Auditor of State’s office tracked more than $65,000 worth of school district property to his residence.

Former Leetonia Police Chief John Soldano was sentenced Wednesday to nine months in prison and ordered to pay restitution for a third-degree felony charge of theft. Soldano pleaded guilty last month to the theft charge stemming from an investigation by the Ohio Auditor’s Public Integrity Assurance Team (PIAT). 

Former Niles Mayor Ralph Infante was sentenced to ten years in prison today following a public corruption trial in Trumbull County. The sentence was issued by Visiting Judge Patricia Ann Cosgrove, who also ordered more than $51,000 to be paid in restitution to the state and to the City of Niles.

The former City Auditor of London (Madison County) pleaded guilty today to theft in office for his failure to reimburse the city for his health insurance costs and for an unauthorized pay increase for a fellow employee. 

The Ohio Auditor of State’s special audit of Mt. Sterling has earned an Excellence in Accountability Award from the National State Auditors Association (NSAA), Auditor Yost announced today.

A former athletic director of the Tipp City Exempted Village School District (Miami County) was ordered to pay a fine and perform community service after he was found guilty today of having a conflict of interest.

The Orange City School District (Cuyahoga County) received $45,138 in restitution today from a former employee who used his position to acquire discounted Apple products that he sold on eBay.

Former Cleveland City Councilman Facing 26 Charges After Ethics Investigation

Former Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman is facing 26 charges of unlawful interest in a public contract following an investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission. 

A former volunteer treasurer who stole tens of thousands of dollars from two groups affiliated with the Shawnee Local School District (Allen County) was sentenced late last week to five years of probation and ordered to pay $51,419 in restitution.

The former fiscal officer for York Township (Belmont County) and its Water Authority has been indicted on 27 counts involving theft in office and related charges in connection with paying her mother Irma Shreffler, and one other person with money they had not earned. Dawn Lee’s mother and another person also were indicted by the Belmont County grand jury on 10 additional counts.

Members of the State Auditor’s Public Integrity Assurance Team (PIAT) executed a  search warrant today at the Muskingum County Engineer’s Office, 155 Rehl Rd., Zanesville. The Muskingum County Sheriff’s Department and agents of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) assisted in the execution of the search warrant. 

Special Audit of Village in Madison County Holds 11 Individuals Accountable for Nearly $1 Million in Illegal Spending

A special audit released today details almost $1 million in illegal spending that occurred at the Village of Mt. Sterling, capping off a two-year investigation that brought criminal charges against four now-convicted former administrators and employees.

By Dave Yost, Ohio Auditor of State

In the spring of 2017, I asked my staff to create a special report focused on a matter that has made my blood boil more than a few times during my seven years as Ohio’s Auditor of State. 

The 101-count indictment of Youngstown-area businessman Dominic Marchionda and 56-count indictment of former Niles Mayor Ralph E. Infante have more in common than major criminal cases against prominent people: Both cases were investigated by a little-known, two-year-old team inside the Auditor of State’s office.

Former Mt. Sterling Mayor Charles Neff was sentenced this morning to 30 days in jail, three years of probation and ordered to pay nearly $10,000 restitution for his role in approving improper leave payouts in the Madison County Village.

Thieving public employees who capitalize on lax oversight have pocketed millions of dollars from transactions with citizens over past decade, according to a special report released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost. 

Payroll fraud is a perennial problem for local governments, putting tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars at risk, which is why Auditor of State Dave Yost today issued a “Best Practices” newsletter to help local officials reduce this threat.

Former Lawrence Township Police Chief Paul Stanley was sentenced to a total of 90 days in jail today after pleading guilty in August to the theft of nearly $24,000 from the police department’s Law Enforcement Trust Fund. The sentence was handed down in in Stark County Common Pleas Court.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Ohio Auditor of State Dave Yost, and Mahoning County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Gains today announced that a Mahoning County man and his affiliated businesses have been indicted on more than 100 counts related to alleged corrupt activity, theft, and money laundering related to three development projects with the City of Youngstown.

A Whitehall man who sold stolen Columbus Area Transit Authority (COTA) bus passes to an undercover COTA investigator was arrested today and charged with telecommunications fraud. The passes, stolen from the Columbus City Schools transportation department, were intended for district students from low-income households, those who are homeless, or those involved in the district’s intern program. 

Former Mt. Sterling Mayor Charles Neff was convicted late Wednesday for theft in office, falsification and dereliction of duty stemming from his approval of excessive payouts for employee sick time and vacation pay that were not allowed or had not been earned.

Former Mt. Sterling administrative assistant Bonnie Liff pleaded guilty today to a fourth-degree felony count of theft in office, making her the third village employee convicted following an investigation into the crimes of former village administrator Joseph Johnson. 

Search warrants were executed at four locations in the Youngstown area as part of an ongoing investigation.

The former fiscal officer of the Village of Aberdeen (Brown County) has been indicted for theft in office stemming from money he allegedly stole from village utility, income tax and copying payments. 

A special audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost cites more than $300,000 in findings for misuse of public funds at the Lawrence County Educational Service Center (ESC).

Former Franklin County Board of Elections Director William A. Anthony Jr. today pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree felony count of securing writings by deception.

A former mayor and the current administrative assistant of the Village of Mt. Sterling were indicted by the Madison County grand jury on a variety of theft counts, following an investigation by local law enforcement and the Ohio Auditor of State.

Fraud and misuse of public funds plagued a southern Ohio correctional facility, where state auditors and investigators found employees forged receipts, stole property and illegally spent thousands of tax dollars across the country on liquor, hotels and a strip club.

Victoria L. Sheets, the former bookkeeper in the Madison County village of Mt. Sterling, pleaded guilty today to falsification for assisting a village administrator to obtain his pension benefits early. 

A Columbus woman who took $88,750 earmarked to start a charter school in Powell was sentenced to three years in prison today by Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge Everett H. Krueger. 

The following statement can be attributed to Auditor of State Dave Yost regarding the indictment of former Niles Mayor Ralph A. Infante, who was indicted on 56 counts today: 

A second unannounced statewide head count of community school attendance found that attendance among non-Dropout Recovery and Prevention schools has improved, according to a report released today by Ohio Auditor Dave Yost. 

A former customer service specialist pocketed more than $15,000 in cash received by the Montgomery County Environmental Services Department, according to a special audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

A treasurer and six board members at the Educational Service Center (ESC) of Central Ohio racked up more than $9,200 in spouse-related travel costs on ESC credit cards, according to a special audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

Former Village of Barnesville (Belmont County) Fiscal Officer Darla Fuller made more than 100 personal expenditures using a village credit card, according to a special audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

Former Perrysburg Schools employee Eric Whitson stole more than $479,800 from the district, and nearly $181,900 from the Bowling Green Bobcat Athletic Boosters, according to a special audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

Horizon Science and Noble Academies in Ohio need to put in writing their formal procedures for administering state-mandated tests, according to a special audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.  However, the audit found no evidence to support allegations of assessment irregularities.

$850,000 in Findings for Recovery Issued

A total of 27 tutoring service providers charged the Columbus City School District $850,000 for tutoring that never happened or for students that were no longer in the district, according to a special audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

A former Village of North Baltimore (Wood County) utility clerk pocketed $79,123 in cash that she was supposed to deposit into the village’s bank account, according to a special audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost. 

An Auditor of State partnership with Paulding County law enforcement led to the indictment of former Director of Probation Services Emily Munger.  She was indicted on one charge of theft in office and one charge of tampering with records.

A special audit of community school sponsorships released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost highlights the need for increased sponsor oversight of schools as part of community school reform legislation pending in the Ohio General Assembly.

Former Superintendent Bradley Martin gambled during work hours and bought iPads the district never saw, racking up $34,739 in findings for recovery in a special audit of the Tecumseh Local School District (Clark County) released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

Officials at the now-closed General Chappie James Leadership Academy padded their attendance rolls by nearly 50 percent, according to a special audit released in a press conference today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.  Findings for recovery total more than $1.1 million.

An unannounced, statewide head count of community school attendance found as few as zero students in one school, according to a report released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

Special Audit: Columbiana County Drug Task Force

A cell phone and wireless plan for the wife of the former Columbiana County Drug Task Force director were paid for with tax dollars, according to a special audit.