A Montgomery Developmental Center administrator who was fired last year has been indicted on 15 felony counts related to his alleged theft of $429,000 for personal expenses.

The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office said Douglas A. Carter, 46, of Gahanna, faces one count of aggravated theft greater than $150,000, one count of theft in office greater than $7,500, five counts of forgery, five counts of tampering with government records and three counts of money laundering.

“This defendant illegally stole over $400,000 and used that money for everything from buying himself a new SUV, purchasing an engagement ring for his girlfriend and even liposuction for himself,” prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. said. “Instead of being a good steward of public money, he abused his position of authority and trust, and victimized developmentally challenged adults.”

Carter was the business administrator from August 2009 to March 2012 of the state-owned facility operated by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and located in Huber Heights.

Prosecutors said he was responsible for managing the Social Security, disability or pension benefits the residents received. As those payments were received, Carter would deposit the funds into one account, and throughout the month would periodically provide the residents money that they needed, and at the end of the month, the remaining funds were supposed to be moved into an account used to help pay for the care of the patients.

Carter, whose salary was $76,149, was placed on administrative leave last March and then fired last April in a termination letter citing “lack of confidence in your leadership abilities.”

The Ohio DODD, the Ohio Inspector General’s Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol were involved in the investigation of alleged criminal activity between Dec. 29, 2011 and March 12, 2012, according to an OSHP incident report.

The MDC received a call from the Credit Union of Ohio about checks that had been deposited in the account of an MDC employee, according to the OSHP report. It also said those checks were drawn on MDC accounts, and the signatures on them were forged.

A second MDC employee, Robert Dix, also was fired last year. Dix, a mental health administrator, denied any wrongdoing involving the missing money.

The MDC is funded by Medicaid — 60 percent federal, 40 percent state — and costs approximately $15.5 million annually to operate.

The facility at 7650 Timbercrest Drive is home to more than 100 adults, most diagnosed with severe or profound disabilities who require extensive care. The center serves Preble, Montgomery, Greene, Butler, Warren, Clinton, Hamilton and Clermont counties.