Former city employee indicted on 140 charges

Former Dayton law department employee Christen Turner signed off on 146 checks worth a total of $365,000 to at least 33 friends for "bogus" claims against the city, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office.

Turner and eight co-conspirators were indicted Thursday on charges including theft in office, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and tampering with government records.

Another 25 people took part in the scheme, according to Prosecutor Mat Heck, but are eligible for a diversion program if they pay restitution.

"We do expect additional indictments and charges to be approved in this investigation," Heck said, noting the investigation is ongoing in cooperation with Dayton police, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service.

As executive secretary of the city's law department, Turner was given authority in 2009 to sign approval of legitimate "moral obligation" claims against the city for $2,500 or less. This is money the city has set aside to pay for things such as minor property damage caused by city workers.

Turner allegedly created false claims against the city in her friends' names, signed approval for them and "everyone would then share in the proceeds," Heck said.

"These were all bogus claims," he said.

Turner was fired in December 2013 shortly after another city employee reported suspicion that a check was cut to someone who was a friend of Turner's.

Turner made $26.07 an hour before she was fired. She reported directly to city law director John Danish, according to her personnel file. Her 127-page file shows she was hired full-time in 1998 and received positive performance reviews as she worked her way up within the city.

The Dayton Daily News acquired a spreadsheet of moral obligation claims paid by the city. It shows there were between 104 and 162 claims each year between 2009 and 2013, mostly for property damage. The total amount paid out for those years was $568,410 with payouts reaching a high of $230,242 in 2012.

Turner's was the only signature needed for claims of less than $2,500.

"This betrayal by a public employee is extremely disappointing to me," Dayton City Manager Tim Riordan said in a statement.

City officials said they put new procedures in place this year. Now, every payment from the law department has to have at least two signatures. The payments are then compiled into a monthly report that is reviewed by the city finance department and the city manager.

Turner, 39, of Dayton was charged on 143 counts of tampering with government records, one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and one count of theft in office.

Three people were charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, grand theft and complicity to commit grand theft. They were Shannon Richards, 39, of Beavercreek; Shareka Gibson, 29, of Trotwood; and Marlon Crawford, 42, of Dayton.

Four more people were charged with felony theft. They were Damon Ball II, 28, of Dayton; Essence Campbell, 34, of Clayton; Gregory Gibson, 27, of Dayton; and Jamie Van Winkle, 29, of Dayton.

Joshua Thomas, 29, of Dayton, was charged with grand theft.

The names of the other 25 accomplices were not released Thursday.

Turner was the only person involved who worked for the city of Dayton, officials said.

"(Turner) violated the public's trust and stole money not only from the city of Dayton, but every resident of Dayton," Heck said.

Kyle Nagel contributed to this report.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS, BREAKDOWN OF THE CHARGES, WHERE THE ACCUSED ARE

10:23 p.m. 9/18/2014:

Christen Turner was booked at 8:08 p.m. Thursday into the Montgomery County Jail, where she is being held without bond, online jail records show.

She is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday morning, according to the online jail records.

3:45 p.m. 9/18/2014:

A former city employee indicted on more than 140 felony charges is accused of stealing more than $365,000 dollars from the city of Dayton. Christen Turner, said county prosecutor Mathias Heck, was involved in a criminal scheme.

According to Heck, in 2013, suspicious activity in a city financial account used to pay claims against the city prompted an audit. Turner, an executive assistant in the city Law Director's office, was authorized to write checks on the city account up to $2500 to pay claims. According to Heck, between 2009 and 2013, Turner would create false claims against the city in her friends names, and then would sign the approval of the false claims. The checks were allegedly given to her friends to cash.

Heck said the investigation revealed Turner wrote 146 checks totaling more than $365,000. A total of 9 people have been indicted in the case so far:

Christen Turner, 39, from Dayton:
· One count of Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity
· One count of Theft in Office over $7,500
· 143 counts of Tampering With Government Records

Shannon Richards, 39, from Beavercreek, Shareka Gibson, 29, from Trotwood and Marlon Crawford, 42, from Dayton:
· One count of Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity
· One count of Grand Theft over $7,500
· One count of Complicity of Commit Grand Theft over $7,500

Joshua Thomas, 29, from Dayton:
· One count of Grand Theft over $7,500 (F4) (6‐18 months)

Damon Ball II, 28, from Dayton, Essence Campbell, 34, from Clayton, Gregory Gibson, 27, from Dayton and Jamie Van Winkle, 29, from Dayton:
· One count of Theft over $1,000 (F5) (6‐12 months)

An additional 25 accomplices were identified as having actively participated in this scheme, and charges have been approved against them for felony theft. Due to the nature of their charges and lack of any prior felony criminal record, and with the approval of the Dayton Police Department, these 25 are eligible for consideration for Diversion and are currently being screened.

UPDATE 3:17p.m. 9/18/2014:

Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias Heck revealed at a news conference minutes ago that a total of nine people are charged in a case involving a former city of Dayton employee, Christen Turner. Check back for more updates.

FIRST REPORT:

A former city of Dayton employee, Christen Turner, has been indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury on more than 140 counts of tampering with government records, 1 count of theft in office, and 1 count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.

The prosecutor's office is expected to hold a news conference on the indictments and release details of their investigation at 3 p.m.