Former supervisor of the City of Ontario's Water Department, David Whittaker, has been caught in a tangle of fraud and falsification, following a special audit by the Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). According to Ohio Auditor of State, Whittaker is on the hook for improperly acquired funds amounting to $502.88 over unauthorized military leave.
Whittaker's deceit unravelled when a complaint in August 2024 alleged that he had submitted a fraudulent military leave request. The investigation revealed the document to be fake, authored to disguise the days Whittaker served in jail for a probation violation, stemming from a DUI incident. Instead of being on duty, Whittaker was serving time, yet he attempted to receive military leave pay from the city.
The duplicity continued with an additional misuse of military leave dating back to July 2023, when Whittaker claimed to report for training in Florida, only to realize the training was canceled. He pocketed 16 hours of pay for this incident, resulting in the aforementioned finding for recovery issued against him for the exact amount of $502.88. This was just a slice of the charges against Whittaker, who, in January, faced indictment for theft in office, tampering with records, and telecommunications fraud in Richland County Common Pleas Court, leading to his eventual guilty plea in May.
The penalties didn't stop there. Whittaker was sentenced to 36 months of community control and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. This case serves as a stark example of the accountability mechanisms in place, as the SIU has been instrumental in various convictions since 2019, resulting in over $16 million in restitution. The Auditor of State's office stands as a guardian against fraudulent activity in public agencies, its latest catch detailed in the full report accessible online for those wishing to read further.
