COLUMBUS, Ohio – Former Jackson County Sheriff’s Office employee Cheryl Brady has been ordered to pay $45,692 in restitution, according to an announcement by Auditor of State Keith Faber. Brady, who was sentenced to prison earlier this year for stealing fees from residents seeking concealed carry handgun licenses and background checks, has yet to pay the total amount.
The finding and the details of Brady’s crime were disclosed in a special audit report released on Thursday. The complete report can be accessed online at ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/search.aspx.
The investigation into Brady’s actions began in October 2019 when Jackson County Sheriff Tedd E. Frazier reported discrepancies in permit fee deposits following an internal review. The Auditor’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), in collaboration with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, conducted a joint investigation and discovered that Brady had been embezzling cash payments meant for the Sheriff’s Office. Between November 2018 and October 2019, the SIU determined that at least $37,964 had been misappropriated.
Brady was indicted in May 2021, and SIU attorneys were appointed by the Jackson County Prosecutor to handle the case. In December 2022, she pleaded guilty to theft in office, a third-degree felony, in the Jackson County Common Pleas Court. In February 2023, Brady was sentenced to 36 months in prison. Along with the ordered restitution, she has been permanently barred from holding any public office.