| ► La Prensa – 08/29/01 – Watchdog alleges theft by 9 judges |
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La Prensa – Aug. 29, 2001 – Watchdog alleges theft by 9 judges Retired County Common Pleas Judge Accused of Theft in Office
By Alan Abrams
La Prensa Senior Reporter
A former Maumee resident who heads an internationally known judicial watchdog organization has filed criminal complaints alleging theft in office by retired Lucas County Common Pleas Court Judge Stephen A. Yarbrough.
The charges filed by David Palmer allege that on 21 occasions since 1998, Yarbrough, sitting as a visiting judge, billed taxpayers for a day's work for meals in more than one geographically distinct location. Simply put, it would have been physically impossible for Yarbrough to be in both places at once.
According to a report on the April 18 filings in the Columbus Dispatch, Palmer alleged Yarbrough billed Franklin County Common Pleas $390 for a day's work in Sept. 1999 and billed Marion County Common Pleas Court another $390 for that same day's work. Columbus is the seat of Franklin County.
The Dispatch reported that another allegation accuses Yarbrough of billing both Franklin County and Darke County Common Pleas Court for meals on the same day in Nov. 1999.
Palmer told La Prensa the total of Yarbrough's "double or triple-billings is close to $8,000," and that he has more than 250 instances of Yarbrough submitting false expenses for meals since 1997.
Palmer also raised questions about Yarbrough's fiscal relationship with former Sylvania mayor James E. Seney, now the executive director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission in Columbus.
Palmer claims that Yarbrough rented a Columbus apartment with Seney and that Seney failed to claim the money he received in rent from Yarbrough on annual state financial disclosure statements.
Seney could not reached at his Columbus office Friday. An employee who answered the phone said Seney was in Sylvania until Monday. Reached at his home Saturday, Seney told La Prensa he is to meet with someone from the Ohio Ethics Commission at his office on April 23 to discuss the allegations.
"I think that should clear everything up," said Seney. He said he has not received any paperwork on the allegations, and declined comment on the specifics.
A telephone message left for Judge Yarbrough was not returned by press time.
The question of whether Yarbrough legitimately resided part-time in Columbus is vital, because if that were the case, Palmer said Yarbrough should not have been allowed to bill taxpayers for such things as overnight lodging, travel and meals.
The theft-in-office complaint against Yarbrough is a felony, and will be handled by the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office, the Dispatch reported. A court appearance on the other charges, which are misdemeanors, has been set for May 10.
The Franklin County filings are just the beginning, says Palmer. He intend to file similar complaints against Yarbrough in Lucas County and six other counties where he alleges double billing occurred.
"This is just the first chestnut to fall off the tree," Palmer told La Prensa Saturday. He said that by the time he is finished, the judicial misconduct scandal could include as many as 50 judges statewide with taxpayers have been cheated out of millions of dollars.
"There is no statute of limitations for theft-in-office," said Palmer. "Even if you steal a dollar, it is a felony."
Palmer, who moved to Powell, Ohio (in Delaware County) from Maumee last November, is the organizer of the Committee to Expose Dishonest and Incompetent Attorneys and Judges. The committee's web site, which receives inquires from as far afield as Outer Mongolia and Indonesia, can be found at www.amoralethics.com.
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