COLUMBUS – Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Mike Foley pleaded no contest Monday to two criminal counts following an investigation into improper political activities using public resources.
Foley was convicted during a hearing in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court on a felony count of unauthorized use of a computer and a misdemeanor count of solicitations of political contributions from public employees.
His sentence included a 12-month suspended jail term, 40 hours of community service with additional ethics training, 24 months of community control, and $3,500 in fines.
The Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) launched an investigation after receiving an anonymous complaint in October 2022 alleging solicitation of campaign contributions from employees and other improper political activities by Foley.
SIU attorneys served as special prosecutor in the case.
Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 139 convictions resulting in more than $13 million in restitution (see Map of SIU Convictions since January 2019). The team receives hundreds of tips of suspected fraud annually. Tips can be submitted anonymously online or via SIU’s fraud hotline at 866-FRAUD-OH (866-372-8364).
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The Auditor of State’s Office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,900 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Keith Faber, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies, and promotes transparency in government.