Jury finds mayor guilty of corruption

By LESLIE GARTRELL
lgartrell@dailystandard.com
and BOB TOMASZEWSKI
bobt@dailystandard.com

WAPAKONETA - Jurors on Saturday found suspended Wapakoneta mayor Tom Stinebaugh guilty of multiple charges of public corruption after a nearly week-long trial.

After deliberating for more than eight hours over two days, an Auglaize County jury found Stinebaugh, 63, guilty of five of 11 charges. Visiting judge Patricia Cosgrove sentenced the suspended mayor to 18 months in prison on Saturday, according to a court official.

Stinebaugh was found guilty of one fourth-degree felony charge of unlawful interest in a public contract, one third-degree felony charge of theft in office and three first-degree misdemeanor charges of conflict of interest.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the fourth-degree felony, a charge related to using his office to install a sewer line to a home that his business had constructed.

Cosgrove also sentenced Stinebaugh to one year in prison on the theft in office charge and six months in jail for each of the three misdemeanor conflict of interest charges. The sentences will be served concurrently, meaning Stinebaugh wills serve a cumulative 18-month prison term.

Stinebaugh was accused engaging in a pattern of corrupt behavior soon after taking office in 2016.

Prosecuting attorney Laura Dezort during the trial said despite receiving a warning from the Ohio Ethics Committee and knowing he was under investigation, Stinebaugh continued to engage in illegal activities as mayor.

He was accused of appointing his brother as city fire chief, granting public contracts to a business owned by his sister and securing contracts in which he, his business or business associates Golden Fresh Farms had interest in.

He was originally indicted on 17 counts in July 2021 and suspended two months later by a state Supreme Court panel.

Stinebaugh has been released on recognizance bond after defense attorneys announced they will appeal the verdict and sentence.