Columbus – A former employee of the Clark County Auditor’s Office, who allegedly stole more than $1.8 million in public funds through a scheme involving phony vendor payments, is facing additional criminal charges, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced Tuesday.

Under a superseding indictment filed by the Clark County Grand Jury, Robert M. Vanderhorst now faces two counts of theft, both first-degree felonies, and a single count of theft in office, a third-degree felony. The new charges come about two months after Vanderhorst was initially indicted on a single count of theft in office.

“These are serious charges and an egregious abuse of the public’s trust,” Auditor Faber said. “We will continue to pursue justice and full repayment for the people of Clark County.”

An investigation by Clark County Prosecutor Daniel P. Driscoll and the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit confirmed Vanderhorst, a longtime employee of the Clark County Auditor’s Office, had opened a phony vendor bank account, deposited county checks into it, and then transferred those balances into a personal bank account or withdrew cash for his own use.

The thefts occurred from 2005-2021. The Auditor of State’s Office is seeking restitution of more than $1.8 million, plus audit costs.

Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 79 convictions resulting in nearly $2.7 million in restitution (Map of SIU Convictions Since January 2019: https://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).

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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.