An investigation conducted by the Ohio Auditor of State found a longtime former employee of the Clark County Auditor‘s Office stole over $1.8 million of public funds over about 15 years to pay for his own lavish vacations.
According to a release from Auditor of State Keith Faber, 64-year-old Robert Vanderhorst, a former employee of Clark County in Springfield since 1991, stole over $1.87 million of public funds in a scheme involving a fake vendor between the years 2005 and 2021.
“Vanderhorst’s actions, going back more than a decade, are shocking and disappointing. The first dollar stolen is an outrage, and every dollar after that only grows our shared horror at the scope of Vanderhorst’s criminal activity,” Clark County Auditor John Federer said.
Clark County Prosecutor Dan Driscoll launched the investigation after he received a tip about a suspicious vendor account that had received payments from the county but did not have an address, tax identification number, or a description of work being performed. Driscoll found that the $110,000 payment to the suspicious vendor was deposited into a bank account that was under Vanderhorst’s name.
Investigators later discovered, in collaboration with the Auditor of State’s Special Investigation Unit, that Vanderhorst had opened a fictitious vendor bank account, where he deposited county checks and then transferred those funds into his personal bank account or withdrew funds for personal gain.
“Vanderhorst stole money for years to pay for vacations and cruises, vehicles, and other purchases for his own benefit,” Faber said.
According to the special audit released Thursday, transactions from 2012-2022 show more than 30 trips, including multiple times to Florida and Tennessee. More than $5,000 of the stolen funds went to a cruise company.
The special audit also indicates that Vanderhorst used the stolen funds to pay over $750,000 to credit card companies, $150,000 for a mortgage loan, $6,500 to a contractor for a deck at Vanderhorst’s residence, and $23,600 to car dealerships.
The report says that Vanderhorst escaped detection for years “due to a lack of management and oversight and failure by the county to segregate duties.”
According to Federer, Vanderhorst’s position had safeguards in place, but due to his tenure, position, and trust of his co-workers, he eluded detection.
Federer said that Vanderhorst’s position was not filled by a new employee, but his duties were assigned to another.
The special audit also included recommendations for improving and instituting internal controls to prevent a similar issue in the future.
Vanderhorst was initially indicted in February 2022, and he pleaded guilty in August to felony counts of aggravated theft and theft in office. In September, a judge sentenced him to seven years in prison and to recompense more than $1.87 million, including the money he stole and the cost of his prosecution.
Clark County Common Pleas Judge Douglas Rastatter also ordered Vanderhort to forfeit all bank account balances, a 2019 Mazda, all funds in his deferred compensation accounts, and his $4,294 monthly Ohio Public Employees Retirement System distribution.
“It was a brazen crime against the people of Clark County, and he’s paying the price for his misdeeds,” Faber said.
.- – –
Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Ohio Statehouse” by General Ization. CC BY 3.0.
