A former purchasing assistant for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was charged Friday with theft.
Grant Bell is the fifth zoo staffer charged with crimes connected to a fraud scheme.
Bell, of Galloway, is the son of the zoo's former Chief Financial Officer Greg Bell and worked closely with Tracy Murnane, the zoo's former purchasing agent.
Both Greg Bell and Murnane have already pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme and are scheduled to be sentenced in September.
Tom Stalf, the zoo's former CEO, has been charged with 36 felonies. He is scheduled to go on trial in Delaware in August.
Pete Fingerhut, the zoo's former marketing director, pleaded guilty to 16 felony counts and one misdemeanor earlier this month. Fingerhut is scheduled to be sentenced in September.
The charges stem from a scheme to defraud the zoo of almost $2.3 million between 2011 and 2021.
The Ohio Attorney General's Special Prosecution Section led the investigation.
