The former police chief of Kirtland Hills, Gerald Smith, Jr., has been charged with defrauding the village out of at least $80,000 by making unauthorized purchases of clothing, tools and goods for his own personal use, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland office.
A two-count criminal information was filed in federal court charging Gerald Smith, Jr., 57, of Kirtland, with one count of mail fraud and one count of destruction, alteration or falsification of records in a federal investigation.
“This defendant stole from the people he swore to serve,” Dettelbach said. “He used the public coffers to furnish his condo and pay for his meals. There will be consequences for public officials who violate the public’s trust.”
Smith joined the Kirtland Hills police department in 1978 and served as chief from 1988 until April 4, 2014. In this capacity, Smith was authorized to reimburse officers for work-related expenses and use village funds to procure necessary supplies, including the use of several village credit cards or lines of credit, according to the information.
Smith made approximately $80,000 in personal expenditures using village credit cards between 2007 and 2014. Some of the items were used to partially furnish his Florida condominium. Items purchased include ceiling fans, plumbing supplies, vacuum cleaners, children’s lunch boxes and story books, clothing, televisions, book shelves, personal hygiene items, firearms, car repairs and more, according to the information.
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. By spreading the purchases out among different funds, he prevented the village from readily noticing large amounts of expenditures from one particular fund, according to the information.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Cleveland office. Smith’s lawyer was not immediately available for comment.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Public Corruption|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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