Columbus – June 9, 2022 – A former fiscal officer for the Knox County Engineer’s Office was sentenced Thursday to 15 months in prison after he was caught making thousands of dollars in personal purchases using a county credit card, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.
Chester Woods III also was ordered to repay $19,861 during his sentencing hearing in Knox County Common Pleas Court. He pleaded guilty in May to felony counts of theft in office and insurance fraud, along with a weapon under disability charge in a separate case.
In June 2020, the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit received a complaint on its fraud hotline that Woods, a convicted felon, had been fired for making personal purchases using a county credit card.
State auditors determined Woods improperly purchased tools, auto parts, and painting supplies, at a cost of $9,076. As part of the investigation, Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer’s office assisted with the execution of a search warrant that led to the recovery of numerous items illegally purchased with county funds.
A separate investigation by the Ohio Department of Insurance found Woods committed additional fraud, receiving a settlement after submitting a false dental claim.
As part of his sentencing Thursday, Woods was ordered to make restitution of $9,076 to Knox County and $2,000 to Broadspire Insurance, plus pay $8,785 in audit costs.
Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 81 convictions resulting in more than $2.7 million in restitution (map of SIU convictions since January 2019: 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).
Pretty sure that money was the peoples since the county doesn’t make money. Just a thief taking from thieves.