LISBON, Ohio — The woman behind a small East Liverpool environmental nonprofit spent years asking the public for money to clean up the Ohio River Valley. Prosecutors say she was spending it on herself.
Amanda Kiger, 52, was taken into custody Thursday after a grand jury indicted her and her organization, River Valley Organizing, on felony theft and fraud charges. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office says she siphoned off at least $150,000 in charitable donations over roughly three years.
Kiger founded River Valley Organizing in 2020. The group positioned itself as a grassroots voice for communities along the Ohio River, pushing on environmental and social issues. By the following year, investigators say, she had begun diverting donor money for personal use.
Her legal troubles extend beyond the nonprofit. She’s also accused of fraudulently collecting nearly $17,400 in unemployment benefits and skipping out on state income tax filings for four straight years — adding a string of additional charges to an already serious case.
Yost’s Charitable Law Section handled the investigation and will prosecute the case in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.
Kiger is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.