COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Auditor of State, Keith Faber, has called for increased training of government officials to detect and report suspected fraud and corruption in public offices. The call was made a day after the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) under Faber’s office closed its 100th criminal prosecution.
According to Faber, warning signs often go unnoticed before public officials engage in fraudulent activities. He emphasized the need for people to be able to identify these red flags and know how to report their suspicions to the appropriate authorities.
On Wednesday, Christa Williams, the former fiscal officer for the Village of Unionville Center in Union County, was sentenced to five years of community control and required drug court programming after pleading guilty to theft in office and tampering with records. She was also ordered to pay $89,570 in restitution, including $8,405 in audit costs. The case was brought to the attention of SIU during a regular review of the village’s finances in the summer of 2020. The unit determined that checks totaling $81,165 were issued to Williams and her husband for personal use and not for proper public purposes.
The case marked the 100th criminal conviction involving the SIU since Faber took office in 2019. Over the past four years, the unit has been involved in 171 criminal charges and issued $18.3 million findings for recovery. Faber’s office is currently working with state lawmakers on fraud legislation to increase the SIU’s ability to identify and pursue potential instances of wrongdoing. The initiatives include additional training for public officials and prompt reporting when fraud in public offices is evident.
Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 100 convictions resulting in $5 million in restitution. The team receives hundreds of tips on suspected fraud annually, and tips can be submitted anonymously online or via the fraud hotline at 866-FRAUD-OH (866-372-8364).