EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — East Cleveland Police Chief Scott Gardner has been suspended and placed on administrative leave after being indicted on charges including grand theft and theft in office on Friday, according to a news release from the city.
Gardner has been charged with felony counts of aggravated theft, telecommunications fraud, six counts of collecting and failing to remit, tampering with records, theft in office, grand theft and passing bad checks.
The indictment alleges Gardner failed to file returns and pay taxes from 2014 to 2019, and purposely falsified, destroyed, removed, concealed, altered, defaced or mutilated digital sales tax return records with the purpose of defrauding the Ohio Department of Taxation. The amount allegedly deprived from the department was between $150,000 and $750,000.
The indictment also alleges Gardner passed several bad checks in the amount of $16,200 with the purpose of defrauding US Bank and/or the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 39.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office said she couldn't comment on the case citing an ongoing investigation.
However, according to court records, prosecutors have been investigating Gardner for "tax issues" for more than eight months.
The criminal indictment was returned Friday, and on Monday, the City of East Cleveland confirmed in a news release that Gardner has been suspended and placed on administrative leave.
“While we are presently unaware of the facts and circumstances surrounding the indictment, we have a zero tolerance for criminal conduct,” city officials said.
According to court records, in 2014 Gardner previously pleaded guilty to attempted failure to file tax returns and failure to collect taxes on two outside businesses in Medina and Cuyahoga Counties.
In both cases, Gardner agreed to pay restitution and served probation.
Late last year, when Gardner's attorney attempted to get the charges expunged from the police chief's record, news of the latest investigation surfaced.
In a December filing with the court, an assistant prosecuting attorney in Medina County wrote, "the State of Ohio received new information from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office that the defendant is currently under investigation for tax issues."
Gardner said Monday that his attorney advised him not to comment on the case.
But in a statement, the chief said, "You know this period between now and discovery no one, outside of the prosecutor's office, knows what’s going on. However I will tell you getting an enormous amount of community support, which I couldn’t be happier for. I am trying to be the most transparent Chief and to know I’m still getting some love, even from activists groups, means a lot."
Gardner added he plans to plead not guilty to the charges when he's arraigned next month.
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