The Ohio auditor announced last week that her office is investigating potential fraud and theft at Hocking College, making it the third state investigation of the college since last fall.
State Auditor Mary Taylor said the auditors will review specific transactions to determine if public tax dollars were misspent.
Authorities at both the state and national levels have been investigating financial irregularities at Hocking College, including the travel expenses of college officials, since September 2007.
The Ohio Attorney General's office confirmed they are still investigating the college, but because the investigations in that office and others are still under way, very little information is available to the public.
Hocking College President John Light, who allegedly used more college money for travel expenses than he reported to the Ohio Ethics Commission, said in a statement released Monday that the auditor's investigation was not 'news
' it is 'olds.'
Light said the auditors finished their report at the end of last year but were reluctant to close the books because of the pending attorney general investigation. Taylor's office, however, insists the investigation is not a routine one.
Light's assistant, Cindy Baden, said on Monday that his office had not received notification from the auditor's office that he was a target of the investigation.
Steve Faulkner, deputy press secretary for the state auditor, said the office typically does notify entities that are being investigated. He said the auditor's office spoke with Bill Hill, Hocking College's vice president for financial affairs. Hill was not available for comment.
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Emily Grannis
State auditor joins agencies looking into alleged fraud
