In The News 11 September 2024

Finding for recovery of $21,725 issued against former Bexley assistant finance director

COLUMBUS — A finding for recovery of $21,725 was issued Tuesday against the former assistant finance director for the city of Bexley, who was convicted of tampering with records and improperly pocketing public funds.

The total includes $11,108 in court-ordered restitution that Jessica Withem has already paid as part of her criminal sentence and an additional $10,617 in misappropriated funds identified in a special audit by the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

The finding is included in a special audit detailing the investigation into Withem. The full report is available online at https://ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/search.aspx.

SIU launched an investigation into Withem after city employees discovered she had altered her own payroll deductions to reduce or eliminate insurance and tax withholding amounts.

SIU ultimately determined that Withem improperly altered required payroll withholdings, was overpaid for leave that she should not have received, and failed to repay health savings account loans, among other issues.

Withem was indicted in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in June 2023 and pleaded guilty to one felony count of tampering with records in March 2024. As part of a plea agreement, she was sentenced to six months of community control and ordered to make restitution of $11,107.55, which she paid in April 2024.

She resigned from her position as assistant finance director for the city in June 2021.

Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 123 convictions resulting in more than $8.9 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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