Special audit details investigation, $43,011 finding for recovery against former fiscal officer of Village of Risingsun
A finding for recovery of $43,011 was issued recently against the former fiscal officer for the Village of Risingsun, who was convicted in 2022 of stealing from the Wood County community, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.
The finding is included in a special audit that outlines the investigation into Robin L. Hindall, who pleaded guilty in July 2022 in Wood County Common Pleas Court to a felony count of theft in office. She was sentenced August 2022 to five years of community control and ordered to make restitution totaling $39,272.50, which included $18,306.50 in audit costs.
The Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit (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.
SIU identified four schemes Hindall allegedly perpetuated for her own benefit from Nov. 1, 2017, through June 30, 2019, including improper cash withdrawals totaling $21,087; donations totaling $2,500 that were not deposited into the Village’s bank account; $718 in improper gross wages, vacation and compensatory time payments to herself; and $400 in stolen park rental receipts.
Risingsun Mayor Rick Whetsel and his bonding company are jointly and severally liable for the $718 in improper payroll, as Whetsel was responsible for oversight of Hindall’s timesheets.
The full special audit report is available online via Search Audits (ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/search.aspx).
Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 105 convictions resulting in more than $5 million in restitution. 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).