The first of five former zoo employees charged with felonies in connection with a scheme to defraud the zoo of more than $2 million was sentenced to three years in prison last week.
Former Columbus Zoo and Aquariums Chief Financial Officer Greg Bell appeared in Delaware County Common Pleas Court last week after pleading guilty to one count of aggravated theft, a second-degree felony; one count of conspiracy, a second-degree felony; and 12 counts of tampering with records, fourth and fifth-degree felonies in October of last year.
At the hearing, Bell was sentenced to three years in prison for the aggravated theft charge and the conspiracy charge and one year in prison for each of the remaining charges. Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge David M. Gormley ordered that all the charges be served concurrently.
Additionally, Bell was ordered to pay $583,697.44 to the zoo in criminal restitution. Bell previously agreed to pay separate civil restitution to the zoo, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
“Greg Bell caved to temptation to enrich himself and his family at the zoo’s expense,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said last week. “Let today’s sentence be a warning to those who would dare to rip off taxpayers.”
Bell is among four zoo executives indicted after an investigation by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Ohio Auditor’s Office found that zoo funds were misused for personal gain, the office reported.
As a part of his plea, Bell agreed to cooperate with the investigation and testify against the other zoo executives. Ultimately, former zoo Chief Executive Officer Tom Stalf, former zoo marketing director Pete Fingerhut, and former zoo purchasing agent Tracy Murnane all pleaded guilty.
Stalf’s sentencing is set for Oct. 14 at 9 a.m.; Fingerhut’s sentencing is set for Oct. 28 at 1:30 p.m. and Murnane’s sentencing is set for Sept. 23 at 11 a.m.
In Bell’s case, prosecutors emphasized in their sentencing memo the ripple effects that occur when charitable dollars are misused:
“Charities and nonprofits play a crucial role in the state of Ohio, and those entrusted with the operation of these organizations have a unique responsibility to ensure that charitable assets are safeguarded and used to promote the charitable mission of an organization. When these assets are exploited for the personal benefit of executives and high-ranking employees at a nonprofit, particularly a nonprofit that receives taxpayer money, it erodes the trust that the public has in charitable organizations in the state and frustrates the missions of those organizations.”
Bell was in the Delaware County Jail Monday, awaiting transport to prison.
Additionally, a former zoo purchasing agent, Grant Bell, was charged with one count of theft,a fifth-degree felony in connection with the scheme. He pleaded guilty to the charge on July 30 and will be sentenced on Sept. 9 at 9:30 a.m.
Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903.
