A former Central Ohio Transit Authority payroll administrator pleaded guilty on Monday to manipulating payroll submissions of retired employees and pocketing the cash.
Ashanti Powell, 46, of Pickerington has to repay more than $13,611 to COTA. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Carl Aveni placed Powell on five years of community control. If she fails to comply with the requirements, she will serve three years in prison.
Powell pleaded guilty to one count of telecommunications fraud.
A state auditor's investigation flagged the payroll fraud. A former COTA employee received a federal tax form for earnings in 2022, even though he retired in 2019.
The auditor's office said Powell entered work hours for two former employees and changed direct deposit information so the paychecks went into her personal account.
Powell worked for COTA from 2019 to 2022.
