Gerald Smith, Jr., Mail Fraud and Destruction of Records, Ohio 2024

State: Ohio
Category: Public Corruption
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/former-kirtland-hills-police-chief-sentenced-two-years-prison-stealing-80000-village" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

A former police chief in Ohio has been sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding his village out of at least $80,000 by making unauthorized purchases of clothing, tools and goods for his own personal use.

Gerald Smith, Jr., 57, of Kirtland, was ordered to pay an additional $9,034 in restitution, on top of the $140,503 he has already paid to cover the amount he stole and the village’s related legal expenses.

“Mr. Smith used the village treasury as his own personal checkbook,” said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “He violated the public’s trust.”

Smith, who served as police chief from 1988 until April 4, 2014, was authorized to reimburse officers for work-related expenses and use village funds to procure necessary supplies.

However, he abused this privilege by making approximately $80,000 in personal expenditures using village credit cards between 2007 and 2014. The purchases included items such as ceiling fans, plumbing supplies, vacuum cleaners, children’s lunch boxes, clothing, televisions, bookshelves, and personal hygiene items.

Smith concealed these purchases by making false entries on receipts to make it appear they were made by others or made for official police business. He also obtained Kirtland Hills money by submitting false claims to the petty cash fund.

Smith was placed on leave by Kirtland Hills in March 2014 and required to surrender his access badges, keys, and all village property. He was also served by FBI agents with a federal grand jury subpoena.

The FBI will continue to pursue and bring to justice those in a position of trust and authority that violate that trust by breaking the law, said Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland office.

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