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Public Affairs
Contact: Marc Kovac
press@ohioauditor.gov

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

Robin L. Hindall appeared in Wood County Common Pleas Court on July 5, after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 30.

SIU received a complaint in September 2019 after the new Risingsun Fiscal Officer found discrepancies in the Village’s financial records, including cash withdrawals made by Hindall from two accounts.

State auditors determined Hindall had misappropriated $23,987, plus an additional $718 in improper vacation and compensatory pay.

As part of her sentencing, SIU is requesting restitution for the theft, plus audit costs, which totaled more than $18,000.

Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 84 convictions resulting in more than $2.7 million in restitution (Map of SIU Convictions Since January 2019: https://ohioauditor.gov/fraud/convictions_map.html). The team receives hundreds of tips of suspected fraud annually. Tips can be submitted anonymously online or via SIU’s fraud hotline at 1-866-FRAUD-OH (1-866-372-8364).

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio is responsible for auditing more than 6,000 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Keith Faber, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies, and promotes transparency in government.