Former Hocking County Commissioner Pleads Guilty to Felony Charges, To Pay Over $25,000 in Restitution

Press Release •Ohio Auditor of State

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

LOGAN - Former Hocking County Commissioner Jessica Dicken pleaded guilty Tuesday to two felony charges and one misdemeanor for her role in the misuse of over $19,000 in public funds while serving as Secretary of the Hocking County Agricultural Society, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.

In a hearing in Hocking County Common Pleas Court, Dicken admitted to one count of theft and one count of telecommunications fraud, both felonies, as well as one misdemeanor count of soliciting or accepting improper compensation.

As part of the plea agreement, Dicken agreed to pay restitution totaling $25,090.69 - $14,417.02 to the Hocking County Agricultural Society, $4,667.17 to Vinton County National Bank, and $6,006.50 to cover audit costs incurred by the Hocking County Agricultural Society.

Dicken will be sentenced at a later date.

The investigation was initiated in May 2023, when the Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) received a complaint alleging that Dicken had received cash payments for county fair vendor spots without depositing them into the Hocking County Agricultural Society's bank account and had made thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges on the society's credit card.

Further investigation revealed a pattern of misuse of the Agricultural Society's funds for personal gain. The unauthorized expenditures on the society's credit card included financing for Dicken's 2022 Hocking County Commissioner campaign, a rental vehicle for a family vacation in Florida, and retail goods for personal consumption from Amazon, Walmart, and Sam's Club.

Additionally, investigators found that Dicken had reported illegitimate disputed charges to Vinton County National Bank and listed some of the campaign-related purchases as in-kind contributions on her campaign finance reports.

The investigation and special audit, conducted by SIU, revealed a total of $19,084.19 in fraudulent purchases made by Dicken using the Agricultural Society's credit cards.

Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 121 convictions resulting in more than $8.3 million in restitution (see Map of SIU Convictions since January 2019). The team receives hundreds of tips of suspected fraud annually. Tips can be submitted anonymously online or via SIU's fraud hotline at 866-FRAUD-OH (866-372-8364).

###

The Auditor of State's Office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,900 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Keith Faber, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies, and promotes transparency in government.

Public Affairs
Contact: Marc Kovac
[email protected]