A report issued this past Thursday revealed that a former bus driver with the Steel Valley Regional Transit Authority (SVRTA) has been called to pay back $3,567.44 after a special audit conducted by the Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) found he received improper sick leave payments.
Frederick Hannahs, the bus driver at the center of the audit's finding for recovery, was discovered to have been simultaneously employed by the Jefferson County Board of Developmental Disabilities. At the same time, he improperly claimed paid sick leave from SVRTA, thus overlapping his working hours at both public agencies. This move didn't align with the terms outlined in SVRTA's Collective Bargaining Agreement and Employee Handbook, according to the audit report.
The SIU initiated its investigation into Hannahs' conduct in October 2023 after receiving a complaint. SIU's probe found evidence that Hannahs had submitted doctor's notes for sick leave in September and October of 2023, a duration during which he was paid for 152 hours of sick leave while also working the other bus driving job, in that same report the details are laid out, available for review at ohioauditor.gov.
Despite the findings, when presented to the Jefferson County Prosecutor by the SIU, the grand jury declined to indict Hannahs, an incident concluded without criminal charges, the same report stated; since 2019, the SIU has been active in securing over 134 convictions which have led to more than $13 million in ordered restitution, reflecting their continued vigilance against misconduct within public service roles.
Members of the public with suspicions of fraud in their local governmental bodies are encouraged to report anonymously online or via the SIU’s hotline, as the unit receives hundreds of such tips each year.
