Columbus – A state audit released today orders a former employee of the City of Northwood (Wood County) to repay $650 that she stole from customer payments. 

Former City Clerk Julie Jagodzinski pleaded guilty on Dec. 4 to one count of theft in office after an investigation by the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office determined that some building rental payments she collected from citizens were never deposited into the city’s bank account. 

“The city deserves credit for its vigilance in recognizing the telltale signs of theft,” Auditor Yost said. “I commend city staff and the team at the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office for their diligence in securing justice for the community.”

Suspicion arose following Jagodzinski’s firing in July 2016 when the city realized all of its building rental records were missing. Jagodzinski, who was fired for performance reasons, was responsible for handling rental transactions and transferring the revenue to the finance director for deposit.

The city contacted Jagodzinski to obtain the missing documents, but the binders she returned still lacked records for 2014 through 2016. A subsequent investigation noted a $650 revenue shortage. 

Jagodzinski was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay restitution and court costs.

The city’s financial audit released today for calendar year 2016 issues a $650 finding for recovery against Jagodzinski.

A special report published by Auditor Yost in November highlights the risks involved in the processing of citizen payments. According to the report, more than $3.4 million in payments received by local governments in the past decade never made it into the government accounts.

A full copy of this report is available online.

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,900 state and local government agencies.  Under the direction of Auditor Dave Yost, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government.

Contact:
Beth Gianforcaro
Press Secretary
614-644-1111