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Village of Ashley Audit Exposes Fraud

Clerk Overpaid Herself and Her Husband $17,658

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Delaware County - Auditor of State Mary Taylor today released the audit of the village of Ashley for calendar years 2007 and 2008. The report reveals that the former village clerk overpaid her husband’s contract with the village and her own salary by a total of $17,658.

“Individuals who abuse the public’s trust must be held accountable for their actions,” Taylor said. “Several recommendations are outlined in this report that village officials should implement to improve financial oversight and help prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.”

Ken Griffith, husband of the former village clerk Tamera Griffith, had a contract to operate the village’s wastewater treatment plant. Between January 1, 2008 and June 19, 2009, Tamera Griffith signed weekly checks and issued them to Ken Griffith in amounts above the contracted rate. As a result, Ken Griffith was overpaid $9,423.

Additionally, the former clerk overpaid her own salary by $8,235 during the same time period.

The overpayments were identified in the audit as findings for recovery, or public monies illegally expended that must be repaid, for a total of $17,658.

As a result of the Auditor of State’s investigation, Tamera Griffith was indicted on one count of theft in office on May 28, 2010. At the time of the release of the report today, the missing funds had not been repaid to the village.

A copy of the complete audit is available online.

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The Ohio Auditor of State’s office is a leader in the government accounting and auditing field, earning prestigious national honors from the Government Finance Officers Association, the National White Collar Crime Center and the National State Auditors Association.

Contact:
Julia Debes
Deputy Press Secretary
(614) 644-1111