For Immediate Release:                                                                                                                 

May 28, 2019 

Former Morgan County Treasurer Commits Theft in Office, Owes $3,815

Columbus – A 2017 audit report released today by Auditor of State Keith Faber, issues a finding for recovery against former Morgan County treasurer, Dawn Hosom to restore taxpayer funds she stole while working for the county.

“It is my office’s job to catch those lying, cheating, and stealing to get their hands on Ohioan’s tax dollars,” Auditor Faber said. “I am grateful for the work of our staff, who stepped in and made sure that the stolen funds are recovered.”

After receiving a tip on March 20, 2018, the Auditor’s office performed a surprise cash count on the three cash drawers used in the collection of property tax payments. Auditors only found $4,416 of the $8,231 that the treasurer’s office claimed to have in the drawers, resulting in a $3,815 difference. Upon further investigation, auditors found that Hosom was taking cash directly from the drawers and misreporting the amount in the drawer to cover up her theft.

Additionally, the audit report shows that state auditors uncovered several instances of noncompliance and material weakness in the county’s financial records. The county had several negative fund balances and no segregation of duties within the county’s cash collection points. Lack of financial controls and best practices put the county at great risk for fraud, misuse, and abuse of taxpayer funds.

On March 14, 2019, Hosom entered a guilty plea to a one-count indictment charging her with Theft in Office. The court sentenced her to five years of community control, and ordered her to pay full restitution of the amount stolen to Morgan County.

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.