Former Cincinnati Public Schools secretary convicted of stealing more than $10K

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A former secretary with Cincinnati Public Schools was convicted of stealing more than $10,000 from athletic events and a student field trip and paid restitution, the State Auditor’s Office announced Thursday.

Donnitta Thomas, 47, pleaded guilty on July 7, 2022, to a misdemeanor count of theft and has since repaid $13,246, which included the amount stolen and audit costs, according to court records and the State Auditor’s Office.

“I represented a wonderful woman and her family,” said her attorney, Herbert Haas. “She made a mistake and did everything possible to correct the mistake by paying back what she owed to the state of Ohio plus the cost of the audit. All she asked is to return to her life as it was before.”

The auditor’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) launched a criminal investigation and special audit in December 2019.

The State Auditor’s Office looked into a check substitution scheme involving Thomas, who served as the lead secretary at Shroder High School in Madisonville from October 2002 until July 2019.

Thomas also was the cheerleader coach from July 2017 through June 2019.

A spokesperson for CPS told FOX19 NOW in 2021 that Thomas hasn’t worked for the district since July 2019.

She admitted to pocketing $10,756 in student fees and cash collected during athletic events and for a school field trip, according to the auditor’s office.

“She hid the crime by posting facility rental checks paid to the school in place of the stolen money,” a news release states.

Thomas’ sentence included six months of community control, which was terminated on Aug. 9, 2022, once she made full restitution, court records show.

Prosecutors also accused her of falsifying or destroying records but a charge of tampering with records was dismissed, court records show.

The Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 105 convictions resulting in more than $5 million in restitution since January 2019.

The team receives hundreds of tips annually about suspected fraud.

Tips can be submitted anonymously online here or via SIU’s fraud hotline at 866-FRAUD-OH (866-372-8364).

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2023 WXIX. All rights reserved.