header

Taylor’s Investigation Identifies Thousands of Dollars Missing in Lincoln Heights

Mayor’s court, police evidence room subject of investigation

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Hamilton County - Auditor of State Mary Taylor today released details of a special audit investigation of the village of Lincoln Heights. The report identifies more than $23,000 missing from the mayor’s court account and police evidence room, money that is owed back to the village.

“Ohioans can’t afford for government to waste our tax dollars,” Taylor said. “As Auditor of State, I will continue to aggressively investigate allegations of theft and wrongdoing and ensure those responsible are held accountable.”

Taylor’s investigation focused on the financial activities of former Lincoln Heights Mayor’s Court Clerk, Tamara Cortes. Cortes was responsible for collecting $115,860 from January 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007 but she deposited only a portion of the money at the bank. She now owes $14,823 back to the village.

During Taylor’s investigation, additional allegations surfaced regarding the misuse of cash obtained through police department arrests and seizures. The report identifies $8,628 missing from the village police department’s evidence room and bank accounts. Three former chiefs of police are responsible for returning portions of the missing cash to the village.

A copy of the complete report is available online.

###

The Ohio Auditor of State’s office is a leader in the accounting and auditing field, earning prestigious national honors from the Government Finance Officers Association, the National White Collar Crime Center and the National State Auditor’s Association.

Contact
Steve Faulkner
Deputy Press Secretary
(614) 644-1111