- Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity
- Securing writings by deception
- 2 charges of grand theft
- Forgery
- Attempted grand theft
- Theft from an elderly person or disabled adult
- Additional money laundering prohibitions
- Filing incomplete, false, and fraudulent returns
Ohio Auditor Dave Yost, in a prepared statement, said the case against Lightner was like “a ball of yarn that just kept unraveling.”
“She stole from taxpayers, the Preble County Historical Society, and even worse, she took advantage of an elderly donor,” Yost said in his statement.
Sheriff’ Simpson, in a prepared statement, said they worked to identify potential victims and to “have a complete picture of what was occurring.”
The state auditor reports the Preble County Historical Society did not employ a bookkeeper after 2006 and in 2014, the society’s trustees found Lightner had “misappropriated” approximately $14,000 in grant money from OCFC.
The trustees contacted the sheriff’s office, which led to a state audit that revealed Lightner used her position to “hide financial transactions” and open accounts without the trustees’ approval, according to the state auditor’s office.
“She used forged board signatures to open a line of credit with Fifth Third Bank and charged more than $225,000, which was ultimately paid off by an elderly donor,” the state auditor’s statement reads.
Lightner is accused of stealing more than $64,000 from the Preble County Historical Society and laundering $13,710 from the elderly donor, according to the state auditor’s office.
The state auditor also accuses Lightner of failing to declare income on her tax return and in September 2014, demanding repayment of $41,465 from the board of trustees for loans she supposedly made to the historical society.
The state audit showed the so-called loans came from the fraudulent line of credit, according to the state auditor’s office.
In a statement, the current president of the Preble County Historical Society Timothy Lane said the organization has hired a new director, implemented a strict financial management protocol, and reorganized the board of trustees over the last 24 months, ‘to ensure the protection of the society assets and collections.’
FIRST REPORT
The former executive director of the Preble County Historical Society has denied charges of theft, corruption and fraud during an eight-year period while serving in the position.
A secret indictment was handed down on Sept. 9 against Mellanie Jane Lightner for nine felony counts, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, securing writings by deception and additional money laundering prohibitions, according to court records.
The 65-year-old Lightner pleaded not guilty to the charges this morning in Preble County Common Pleas Court.
The indictment alleges that Lightner acquired various amounts of money, ranging from $7,500 to about $41,500, through fraudulent activity as director of the historical society.
The judge ordered that Lightner be booked into the Preble County Jail and released on her own recognizance.
The trial is set to begin in December.