Ex-clerk relieved of paying auditing costs

WARREN — Judith DeJacimo, the former Warren Municipal Court deputy clerk convicted of stealing $77,000 from the court, won’t have to pay $123,508 in state and city auditing costs.

Judge Peter Kontos of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court has ruled that DeJacimo cannot be forced to pay those amounts because there is nothing in Ohio law allowing the court to order such repayment.

The ruling states that Ohio law does allow for reimbursement of costs of investigation for certain types of cases, but not for theft of public funds.

DeJacimo, 50, of Glen Drive, Warren, worked for the court for 13 years until she was fired Dec. 7, 2005. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison in January and was released after serving 60 days in accordance with the plea agreement she made with prosecutors.

Judge Kontos made the ruling in the civil lawsuit filed against DeJacimo by Warren Municipal Court. The case remains open with a trial date set for Dec. 14.

The auditing costs included $77,095 charged to the City of Warren by the Ohio Auditor’s office for a special state audit and $46,413 in overtime paid to municipal court employees who also audited the court’s books. The state auditor handled several years’ worth of accounts, and court employees handled several other years’ worth.

Warren Law Director Greg Hicks could not be reached to comment on the ruling.

Common Pleas Judge John M. Stuard handled the criminal case against DeJacimo. In March, he ordered her to pay about $70,000 for the thefts, and auditing costs.