Money stolen by former clerk slowly returned to rightful owners
Apr. 5—LIMA — One of a series of hearings aimed at returning money stolen by former Lima Clerk of Court Chief Deputy Susan Barnett to its rightful owners was held Tuesday in Lima Municipal Court.
Barnett was convicted in 2019 in Allen County Common Pleas Court of theft in office for stealing more than $300,000 from the city of Lima between 1997 and 2012 during her tenure with the clerk's office.
She was charged in April 2018 with two counts of theft in office, one count each of telecommunications fraud, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, aggravated theft and receiving stolen property. Barnett agreed to plead guilty to one count of theft in office and one count of telecommunications fraud. In exchange for those pleas, prosecutors dismissed the remaining four counts.
As part of her plea deal, Barnett agreed to make restitution to the city in the amount of $331,706. Monthly payments of $600, one-quarter of her monthly Public Employee Retirement System pension, go to the city as payment toward her restitution.
Now 78 years of age, Barnett was released from prison almost exactly one year ago after serving six months of a three-year term. The COVID-19 pandemic played a role in her early release.
Judge Richard Warren, who presided over Tuesday's hearing in municipal court, said Barnett stole funds spread out over more than 1,100 cases. The thefts were discovered when Municipal Court Clerk Jim Link began a review of records, files and bank deposits which revealed numerous discrepancies.
In the years since Barnett's conviction, city and state auditors have attempted to identify the hundreds of victims who were the rightful owners of funds stolen by the former clerk. Warren said the dollar amounts being returned to victims ranges from "small amounts to over $1,000."
The funds are returned during restitution hearings held in the local court. Those hearings started in October of last year and will continue through this summer when all monies are expected to have been returned.
State Auditor Keith Faber was in attendance at Tuesday's hearing. He said cracking down on white-collar crime has been a priority of his since he was elected in 2019.
"Since I was elected state auditor more than 75 individuals have been convicted of lying, stealing and cheating with government funds," he said. "These are the good days, when we catch people doing bad things and can return money that was stolen to the people it was stolen from."
Faber asked for the public's help in detecting white-collar crime.
"Contact us if you see something going on in government that doesn't seem quite right," Faber said. "Eighty percent of these types of cases start with tips from the public."
Faber said persons can call 1-866-FraudOhio or contact his office online at OhioAuditor.gov.
Reach J Swygart at 567-242-0464.
