Former Utility Office Supervisor for the Village of Woodsfield in Monroe County Indicted on Theft, Related Counts

Press Release •Ohio Auditor of State

COLUMBUS - The Monroe County Grand Jury returned an indictment against the former utility office supervisor for the Village of Woodsfield, who allegedly used her position to write off balances due on her personal utility accounts and late fees she owed.

Claudia Baker faces three counts of theft, one count of theft in office, two counts of tampering with records, and one count of telecommunications fraud, all felonies, under the indictment filed in Monroe County Common Pleas Court.

The Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) launched an investigation after auditors discovered Baker was delinquent in her personal utility payments but had not been assessed late fees or had her account disconnected.

Investigators determined Baker closed two of her personal utility accounts with delinquent balances, fraudulently wrote off balances that were due, blocked late fee assessments, and made other unauthorized adjustments.

Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 147 convictions resulting in more than $16 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).

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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.

Public Affairs Contact: Marc Kovac [email protected]