Wapakoneta mayor indicted on more than a dozen corruption charges

Jul. 23—Wapakoneta Mayor Thomas Stinebaugh faces more than a dozen public corruption charges connected to business deals that occurred while in office.

An Auglaize County grand jury indicted Stinebaugh on eight counts of unlawful interest in a public contract, eight counts of conflict of interest and one count of theft in office, according to court records.

He is accused of entering into contracts with family members and a business partner while serving as mayor, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Stinebaugh is also accused of having the city pay for a sewer line on a property being developed by his private company.

The incidents took place between 2016 and 2019.

"This case is a textbook example of public corruption: the leveraging of a public position to gain improper personal benefits," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. "The taxpayers of Auglaize County deserve better, and we're going to ensure that no one is above the rule of law."

Suspension proceedings will be initiated for Stinebaugh, according to the attorney general's office.

The Ohio Ethics Commission and Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigated the case.