CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The
West Virginia Ethics Commission issued a Final Decision and Order against
former Wayne County Assessor Eric L. Hodges, which orders him to pay a $10,000
fine and to reimburse the Ethics Commission $1,908.55 for the costs of
prosecuting his violations of the Ethics Act.
Hodges
was found to have used his public office for private gain by using two
government-issued credit cards in July and August of 2015 to make multiple
personal purchases, which were not for the benefit of the Wayne County
Assessor’s Office.
The
State Auditor’s Office and the Wayne County Commission had designated Hodges as
a cardholder for the Wayne County Assessor’s Office in the Local Government
Purchasing Program. He also was a designated cardholder of an Assessor’s Office
credit card.
On
January 21, 2016, Hodges pled guilty to two felony counts of embezzlement in
Wayne County Circuit Court based upon his fraudulent use of the credit cards
and agreed to pay $58,007 in restitution to the Wayne County Commission and to
forfeit all of the items which he illegally purchased. Hodges was
sentenced to five years of probation.
The
Ethics Commission ordered Hodges to pay the fine and the reimbursement by
August 1, 2017.
The Final Decision and Order, which also
included a public reprimand, may be viewed on the Commission’s website at www.ethics.wv.gov.