News

Brown County - Auditor of State Mary Taylor today announced an investigation conducted by her office led to the indictment of former Village of Ripley utilities clerk Katherine Lang. The indictment was returned by a Brown County grand jury, the result of an alleged theft of nearly one million dollars by Lang while working for the Village of Ripley.

The indictment against Lang includes three counts of theft in office and seven counts of tampering with records, all third degree felonies, which occurred between January 2006 and October 2009. The Auditor of State’s James Manken is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Brown County Prosecutor Jessica Little.

“Those who abuse the public’s trust and take taxpayer money must be held accountable,” Taylor said. “My office will continue to work with local law enforcement to investigate allegations of fraud and theft across the state.”

“This is another well done investigation completed by Auditor of State Mary Taylor and her office, and we are fortunate here in Brown County to have their expertise to rely upon in the preparation and prosecution of this case,” Little said. “I look forward to assisting special prosecutor James Manken as he prepares this matter for trial.”

No further information is available from the Auditor of State until a special audit of the Village of Ripley is released later this month.

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:
Jeannie Foley
Deputy Press Secretary
(614) 644-1111