The former administrator of a Madison County village has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing nearly $1 million from the village.
Forty-six-year-old Joe Johnson was sentenced Monday in Madison County after pleading guilty earlier this year to charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, theft in office, money laundering and tampering with records.
The former Mount Sterling administrator was initially charged with 30 counts stemming from the theft in office.
Prosecutors say Johnson made unauthorized credit card purchases and shuffled funds among different accounts. Bob Smith, a special prosecutor for the Ohio Auditor's office, says Johnson used government credit cards "like a personal slush fund."
Johnson's plea deal requires him to forfeit five vehicles and his home to help repay more than $700,000 in restitution.