Report: Ohio halfway house officials paid for alcohol, strip club
COLUMBUS (AP) — Officials at a southern Ohio halfway house illegally spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on alcohol, hotels, travel costs for family members and a strip club, and forged receipts for personal and unauthorized purchases, according to a state audit released today.
The report from Auditor David Yost found $20,000 in illegal spending by employees at STAR Community Justice Center in Scioto County, with about half involving conferences in Las Vegas; Reno, Nev.; Orlando, Fla.; and Pittsburgh.
The report said two center officials spent $170 at Columbus Solid Gold, a strip club, in December 2014.
The report cited former deputy director Josh Saunders with improperly spending $12,042 and executive director Charles Philabaun with improperly spending $5,965.
Saunders denies wrongdoing, said his attorney, Jonathan Marshall, who noted Saunders was the one who first alerted authorities to the allegations. Marshall also questioned why auditors never interviewed Saunders.
Messages were left for an attorney representing Philabaun.
The Scioto County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing the audit to determine if criminal charges are warranted and whether money should be reimbursed, said Pat Apel, an assistant prosecutor.
The 150-bed facility works with felony offenders to help them reintegrate in the community and avoid going back to prison. The Ohio prisons agency is reviewing the audit, said spokeswoman JoEllen Smith. The facility is in Franklin Furnace, about 105 miles (169 kilometers) from Columbus.