Press Release • Ohio Auditor of State

COLUMBUS - A former employee of a Columbus charter school was sentenced to 4 years in prison after admitting she stole public resources.

Michelle Scott also was ordered to make restitution of $363,384.44 and will be subject to 2 years of community control after pleading guilty to a felony count in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

The Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) received a complaint in March 2023 alleging potential fraud by Scott, the former business manager at the Westside Academy.

SIU identified unauthorized payments, personal purchases, tuition reimbursements, and credit card transactions. Scott used false vendor names and altered credit card statements in an attempt to conceal the activities.

Scott was indicted in April 2025 and pleaded guilty in March 2026. She was sentenced on April 30 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 161 convictions resulting in more than $17.7 million in restitution (see Map of SIU Convictions since January 2019). The team receives hundreds of tips of suspected fraud annually. Tips can be submitted anonymously online or via SIU's fraud hotline at 866-FRAUD-OH (866-372-8364).

###

The Auditor of State's Office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,900 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Keith Faber, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies, and promotes transparency in government.