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COLUMBUS – A finding for recovery of $45,692 was issued Thursday against a former employee of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, who was sentenced to prison earlier this year for stealing fees paid by residents seeking concealed carry handgun licenses and background checks, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.

The total, which included $37,964 that was pocketed by Cheryl Brady and $7,728.50 in audit costs, matched the court-ordered restitution and remains unpaid.

The finding and details of Brady’s crime are included in a special audit released Thursday. A copy of the full report is available online (ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/search.aspx).

The Auditor of State’s Office was contacted by Jackson County Sheriff Tedd E. Frazier in October 2019 after an internal review uncovered discrepancies in deposits of permit fees.

The Auditor’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the law enforcement division of the office, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation jointly investigated the case and ultimately determined that Brady had been pocketing cash payments made to the Sheriff’s Office. From November 2018 through October 2019, SIU calculated that at least $37,964 was taken.

Brady was indicted in May 2021, and the Jackson County Prosecutor appointed SIU attorneys to prosecute the case. She pleaded guilty in in Jackson County Common Pleas Court in December 2022 to theft in office, a felony of the third degree and was sentenced in February 2023 to 36 months in prison. 

In addition to the ordered restitution, she was also permanently banned from holding public office.

Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 109 convictions resulting in more than $5.8 million in restitution (see?Map of SIU Convictions?since January 2019). The team receives hundreds of tips of suspected fraud annually. Tips can be submitted anonymously online or via SIU’s fraud hotline at 866-FRAUD-OH (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 5,900 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. 

Public Affairs
Contact: Marc Kovac
press@ohioauditor.gov