$34,700 in findings issued against former Ohio superintendent
Former Superintendent Bradley Martin gambled during work hours and bought iPads the district never saw, racking up $34,739 in findings for recovery in a special audit of the Tecumseh Local School District (Clark County) released this week by Auditor of State Dave Yost.
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“Thanks to the good work of our staff, BCI and the Clark County Sheriff’s office, this gambling superintendent didn’t leave the casino a winner,” Auditor Yost said. “I expect every red cent to be paid back – and justice to be done.”
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in December 2014 to assist in a search warrant at Martin’s residence regarding allegations of theft of district funds.
After a review of casino records on January 13, 2015, the Auditor of State’s Special Audit Task Force initiated a special audit as part of a joint investigation with the sheriff’s office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). The special audit reviewed records for the period of October 10, 2012 through December 11, 2014.
Auditors determined that Martin spent 307 scheduled work hours at casinos - usually playing slot machines - as well as 121 hours driving to and from casinos. In total, Martin was paid $24,550 for time he did not work.
During the audit period, the district reimbursed Martin $6,470 for 12 iPads he claimed to have purchased for the district. However, eight of the iPads valued at $4,493 were never provided to the district.
Auditors also discovered that 77 trips Martin received mileage reimbursements for - a total of $4,891 - were not for purposes related to the operations of the district. In addition, Martin did not attend three conferences for which the district paid registration fees totaling $805.
Findings for recovery totaling $34,739 were issued against Martin. He pleaded guilty on April 29, 2015 to three criminal charges of theft in office, tampering with records and forgery. A restitution hearing is scheduled for August 27, 2015.