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McARTHUR, Ohio (WCMH) – A former fiscal officer in Ohio has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison and ordered to repay the almost $340,000 he stole from his office and used in part to purchase a wildebeest, owls, hot tubs, a drum set, a gazebo, and a snow cone machine.
According to the Ohio Auditor of State, Cyril “Cy” Vierstra of Wilkesville, stole $339,717.86 in public funds from operations of Vinton Township to buy several exotic animals, and numerous items for his own personal use or for a primate exhibit at his roadside zoo on near the Vinton Furnace State Forest.
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Cyril “Cy” Vierstra was found guilty of theft in office, $340,000 of public funds, from Vinton Township. (Courtesy/Ohio Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit) -
Cyril “Cy” Vierstra was found guilty of theft in office, $340,000 of public funds, from Vinton Township. (Courtesy/Ohio Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit) -
Cyril “Cy” Vierstra was found guilty of theft in office, $340,000 of public funds, from Vinton Township. (Courtesy/Ohio Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit) -
Cyril “Cy” Vierstra was found guilty of theft in office, $340,000 of public funds, from Vinton Township. (Courtesy/Ohio Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit) -
Cyril “Cy” Vierstra was found guilty of theft in office, $340,000 of public funds, from Vinton Township. (Courtesy/Ohio Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit)
In 2017, the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit received a complaint from the Vinton County Auditor’s Office with allegations that Vierstra was misusing township debit and credit cards. The resulting investigation led to a review of band records which uncovered questionable transactions between January 2016 and July 2020 to fund renovations to his residence and for expenses at the Union Ridge Wildlife Center, a nonprofit wildlife refuge Vierstra operated.
The refuge housed animals including tigers, aoudads, capuchins, chimpanzees, lemurs, macaques, spider monkeys, birds of prey and cranes.
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Investigators determined Vierstra created fake invoices, billing slips and other fraudulent documents to hide his activities, which included 812 debit card transactions totaling over $127,000 on an online auction website. There, he bought items such as a drone, a video game system, tricycles, telescopes, a dishwasher, custom-built enclosures for his refuge facility, two snow owls from England and a wildebeest.
Auditors also created a breakdown of the various purchases. Using public funds, Vierstra is said to have also obtained five hot tubs, an above-ground pool, a gazebo, outdoor grills, a popcorn cart, a projector screen, kayaks, pressure washers, and a CPR manikin.
Vierstra pleaded guilty in October 2022 to felony counts of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, theft in office, tampering with records and a misdemeanor count of dereliction of duty. He was sentenced to 59 months in prison, plus at least 18 months and up to three years of mandatory post-release control.
In addition, Vierstra was ordered to pay restitution of all funds and ordered to forfeit a 2020 Cushman Hauler 1200x utility vehicle, a 2019 Cub Cadet XT1-LT42 riding lawn mower, a 2006 Chevrolet animal rescue trailer, and six Jeld-Wen Vinyl windows.
