Mayor’s wife sentenced

Prosecutors decided not to pursue more serious charges of perjury.

COLUMBUS (AP) — The wife of Mayor Michael Coleman was sentenced to five years of probation and fined $1,000 Tuesday after pleading no contest to charges she falsified time sheets and received nearly $2,100 in salary and benefits for hours she never worked at a state development job.

Franklin County Municipal Judge Harlan H. Hale also sentenced Frankie Coleman to 100 hours of community service after he found her guilty on charges of attempted theft in office and falsification, both first-degree misdemeanors. A 360-day jail sentence was suspended as long as she completes terms of probation, including an alcohol treatment program she is currently attending.

“I want to apologize for creating this problem, particularly for my family and myself,” Coleman, 57, said in court. “I admit that I do have a problem with drinking, and I’m very proud of myself that I am working on it.”

She has been at an undisclosed in-patient treatment facility for two months and is expected to finish by the end of August.

She resigned from the job as assistant manager of the Workforce Development Office at the development department effective June 8.

Absent from work

A report by Ohio Inspector General Thomas P. Charles concluded Coleman did not show up for the $70,000-a-year job or was absent without leave for parts or all of 13 days in February, March and April. She was also paid for working two other days even though she called in sick.

“Unlike most state workers, Coleman came and went as she pleased,” the report said.

Coleman could have faced felony charges of perjury. She was accused of initially lying under oath to investigators about the time she worked and later saying alcohol played a role. Prosecutors decided not to pursue the more serious charges.

The nearly $2,100 was deducted from Coleman’s final state paycheck to account for the hours she did not work.

“We appreciate the support we’ve received from friends and family,” the Coleman family said in a statement. “While it is hard to go into alcohol recovery in such a public way, we are dealing with this as a family, focused on healing, the future and our love for each other.”