Columbus – An audit released today by Auditor of State Keith Faber exposes $1,986 of debit card purchases made without supporting documentation by the director of Westside Academy in Franklin County.

From 2015 to 2018, Heather O’Bannon used the academy’s debit card to make unsupported purchases from vendors such as Amazon, Target, Dollar General, Office Max, and more. Without documentation, there is no way to determine if these purchases were for a proper public purpose.

“It is critical that people responsible for taxpayer funds are transparent with how they spend those funds,” Auditor Faber said. “I recommend the school put more robust controls in place, so that this never happens again.”

In accordance with these facts, Auditor Faber has issued a finding for recovery for $1,986 against O’Bannon and in favor of the academy’s general fund.

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 6,000 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Keith Faber, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies, and promotes transparency in government. 

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