As The Cincinnati reported, Warren County's former school treasurer is in the throes of legal trouble after a grand jury indicted him for a series of charges tied to his time in office. Ronald James, age 69, hailing from Waynesville, allegedly committed the crimes between July 18, 2020, and October 31, 2022. The indictment includes tampering with evidence, theft in office, and having an unlawful interest in a public contract. The severity of these charges escalates from overshadowing his governance as treasurer for Wayne Local School District, serving around 1,500 students.
According to Local12, James is also accused of directing improperly acquired funds to his daughter, Jenae James, via falsified purchase orders for ACT testing payments; Jenae, in her capacity as a district teacher, faces a theft charge as well. The case swells with the accusation that James nudged an unbid landscaping contract worth over $27,000 toward a business associate. This messy entanglement led to his resignation in October 2022 following a separation agreement with the school district.
The unfolded allegations take a more detailed shape in insights from FOX19, which reports that the Ohio Auditor's Office's investigation stemmed from complaints about the management of school funds. They unearthed that James had made "unauthorized payments" totaling $3,150 to his daughter. "Ronald James falsified purchase orders to have payments received by Wayne Local Schools for hosting ACT testing directed to Jenae James," the prosecutor's office stated, casting a shadow over the fiducial responsibilities entrusted upon him.
Similarly, the Warren County Prosecutor's Office detailed how James' maneuvers didn't stop there. His influence was allegedly leveraged to ensure a garden center business with which he had ties received a lucrative landscaping contract from Wayne Local Schools. Without the typical bid process, the transaction included a chase that ended with a $27,537.28 payout for services rendered. These revelations come on the heels of Wayne Local Board of Education's unanimous vote to sign off on a separation agreement, a document emerging from an October 24, 2022, meeting that would formally sever the administrative bond between James and the school district. This move now resonates with the echoes of alleged corruption.
