State program streamlines fraud reporting

To file a complaint, call (866) FRAUD-OH or visit www.auditor.state.oh.us.
By MICHELE C. HLADIK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Reporting fraud in government just got easier.
On Thursday, state Auditor Betty Montgomery and Greene County Prosecutor Bill Schenck announced her office's newest efforts at curbing abuse of Ohio tax dollars, including a special telephone hot line and an online complaint form.
The four-part Taxpayer Protection Initiative also involves a centralized clearinghouse to classify and deal with complaints, training those who work in the public sector to recognize fraud and how to report it, and working with other state and local agencies to investigate and prosecute.
Montgomery said many people see the crimes being committed but do not know where or how to report them.
She said the initiative's hot line will take care of that.
Montgomery said complaints can be filed anonymously through her office and they will be treated the same as those in which the complainant is known.
Montgomery said 100 complaints have been filed with her office this year and 20 remain under investigation.
Reminders t o employees
She said the fraud hot line number will appear on every check the state issues to remind employees and those who deal with government agencies of their option to file a complaint.
Montgomery said she has also instructed her office to investigate every incident of wrongdoing it finds while conducting an audit.
Complaints may also be filed against those who work with state agencies.
In a short list of the corruption cases, Montgomery cited the case of Barry Jacobson, who pleaded guilty to bribery and complicity to theft in office in a scheme uncovered by The Vindicator in which his suburban Cleveland company was selling janitorial supplies to the Trumbull County maintenance department at grossly inflated prices.
A member of the auditor's statewide advisory board, Schenck said counties don't have the resources to deal with larger complaints and will require training and assistance. He said the new initiative will work toward that end.
To file a complaint on the hot line, call (866) FRAUD-OH.
Complaints may also be filed online at www.auditor.state.oh.us, or mailed to the Auditor of the State's Special Investigations Unit at 88 E. Broad Street, Columbus 43216-1140.