Two residents of Cuyahoga County have found themselves on the wrong side of the law after pleading guilty to the theft of checks worth over $350,000 from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), according to official reports. Janae Floyd from Shaker Heights and Joevonte Crocket from Cleveland were implicated in a scheme to reroute payments intended for an ODNR vendor.
Details emerged about the case when both Floyd and Crocket submitted their guilty pleas earlier this week in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, as reported by OhioAuditor.gov. Floyd admitted to counts of theft, attempted telecommunications fraud, and forgery, while Crocket faced similar charges. This legal conclusion comes after an investigation instigated by a complaint from ODNR regarding missing payments to a vendor from the agency's Division of Engineering.
The stolen checks, one valued at $55,228.81 and the other at $305,873.81, were issued in May and September of 2024, but they never reached their intended recipient. Instead, both were deposited into separate bank accounts linked to Floyd. The investigation revealed that Floyd had registered a business under the vendor's name in June 2024, an entity that saw Crocket paying the registration fees with a prepaid debit card.
Efforts from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and Sheriff’s Office led to the seizure and recovery of the embezzled funds from the implicated accounts. Sentencing for the pair was swift, with Floyd agreeing to a year under community control and a requirement of 20 hours of community service. Crocket's sentence echoed a year of community control, according to court details. The Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit, which has contributed to 153 convictions since 2019, continues its efforts to catch and deter such fraudulent activities.
Their guilty pleas and subsequent sentencing bring some closure to an elaborate theft scheme that threatened to undermine trust in the financial operations of the ODNR. Members of the community watching the case can find some solace in knowing that funds were recovered and that justice has been served. Tips on suspected fraud can still be made anonymously online or through the SIU’s hotline, ensuring the Special Investigations Unit's vigilance remains unyielded in protecting the integrity of Ohio's financial transactions.
