Columbus – A former employee in the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office was sentenced to 36 months in prison Friday after she admitted stealing about $38,000 in fees paid by residents seeking concealed handgun licenses, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.

Cheryl Brady pleaded guilty in December to theft in office, a felony of the third degree. The sentence handed down in Jackson County Common Pleas Court included of $37,964, plus $7,728.50 in audit costs. Brady also is permanently banned from holding public office.

The Auditor of State’s Office was contacted by Jackson County Sheriff Tedd E. Frazier in October 2019 after an internal review uncovered discrepancies in deposits of permit fees.

The Auditor’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation jointly investigated the case and ultimately determined that Brady had been pocketing cash payments made to the Sheriff’s Office. From November 2018 through October 2019, SIU calculated that at least $37,964 was taken.

Brady was indicted in May 2021, and the Jackson County Prosecutor appointed SIU attorneys to prosecute the case. Brady’s initial pre-trial bond was revoked earlier this year after she failed a drug test.

Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 102 convictions resulting in more than $5 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).

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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.