(CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Pickaway County Sheriff Robert Radcliff announced today that the former director of the Pickaway County Veterans' Service Commission has been sentenced to prison following her conviction on a number of charges, including theft in office.
Today, Pickaway County Common Pleas Judge R. Randall Knece sentenced Rebecca Lee, 52, to three years in prison. She was also ordered to pay more than $19,200 in restitution to the Pickaway County Veterans' Service Commission.
A jury found Lee guilty last month of three charges of theft in office, and one count each of grand theft, theft, and unauthorized use of property. The case was prosecuted by attorneys with Attorney General DeWine's Special Prosecutions Section.
The charges stem from investigations conducted by the Ohio Auditor's Office and Pickaway County Sheriff's Office that found that Lee made unauthorized charges and cash advances to Pickaway County Veterans' Service Commission credit cards, kept thousands of dollars in mileage reimbursement funds related to the use of a county vehicle, and stole a historic World War II flag donated to the agency by a Pickaway County veteran who had been a prisoner of war.
"This defendant stole directly from Pickaway County taxpayers and veterans, which is absolutely shameful," said Attorney General DeWine. "To this day, the defendant still refuses to tell authorities exactly what happened to the missing flag. She stole a piece of history, and prison time is certainly appropriate."
"Through her actions, the defendant violated the public's trust and local veterans' trust, and we must do everything we can to protect those who served our country," said Sheriff Radcliff. "I hope that someday she will come clean about what happened to the flag because it is a historic artifact that can never be replaced."
Lee has been in the Pickaway County Jail since her conviction in October.
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Media Contacts:
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Jill Del Greco: 614-466-3840