Findings for recovery issued against former Brush Creek (Scioto County) Township fiscal officer
Ohio Auditor of State
COLUMBUS — Findings for recovery totaling nearly $1,700 were issued Tuesday against the former fiscal officer of Brush Creek Township in Scioto County over late fees and improper payments on the township’s credit card.
Beverly Eichenlaub repaid $612.64 of the total under audit, leaving a remaining balance of $1,058.25 identified in an audit of the township’s finances from Jan. 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2023.
The full report is available online at ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/search.aspx.
Auditors determined that Eichenlaub failed to pay state and federal taxes, retirement and Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation remittances, and credit card payments on time, resulting in late fees, interest and penalties of $612.64.
Auditors noted, “The late fees, penalties, and interest paid by the township that were incurred as a result of gross negligence serve no proper public purpose and could have been avoided had the withholdings and premiums been paid in a timely manner.”
Eichenlaub submitted repayment of the fees in December 2024.
Auditors also identified $691.37 in improper credit card payments for Eichenlaub’s personal cell phone service, along with an additional $366.88 in late fees and interest for late credit card payments. Eichenlaub and her bonding company are jointly and severally liable for the resulting finding for recovery.
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Special audit details investigation into former Nelsonville Clerk
A special audit released this week details the investigation into a former Nelsonville clerk who was convicted in the theft of city funds.
Jessica Mount pleaded guilty in December to a felony count of theft in office and misdemeanor counts of soliciting improper compensation and dereliction of duty and was ordered to pay $11,306 in restitution and audit costs, following a hearing in Athens County Common Pleas Court in December 2025.
The report describing the case is available online at ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/search.aspx.
The Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) received a complaint in April 2023 alleging the potential theft of city funds by Mount, who served as clerk for the Nelsonville Police Department and Mayor’s Court from November 2021 through December 2022.
SIU identified receipts issued for 33 cash payments received through the Nelsonville Mayor’s Court that were not deposited into a city bank account during her employment.
Mount was indicted in June 2025. After pleading guilty, she was sentenced to five years of community control and is barred from serving in public office.
Tuesday’s special audit report included a finding for recovery of $11,306, the same total included in Mount’s restitution order. She has paid $750 of that total to date, leaving a remaining balance of $10,556.
Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 164 convictions resulting in more than $17.8 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).