POWELL, Ohio — A fourth former Columbus Zoo and Aquarium employee is facing charges as part of the state's fraud investigation into the organization.
Tracy Murnane, 65, was charged with six felonies:
- One count of grand theft (F4).
- One count of complicity in the commission of an offense (F4).
- Two counts of forgery (F4).
- One count of telecommunications fraud (F5).
- One count of filing incomplete, false and fraudulent tax returns (F5).
Documents filed in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas state that Murnane, while working as the director of purchasing, sold services from his family's business to the zoo, sold personal cars using a straw seller and aided another defendant, former CEO Tom Stalf, in using zoo funds to buy a vehicle for Stalf's personal use. He is also accused of using a zoo vendor barter system to book a party bus for a family member's wedding and filing tax returns for 2019 without accounting for his fraudulent gains.
The charges against Murnane follow the indictment of three other former Columbus Zoo executives accused of stealing $2.29 million in public funds for their own benefit: Stalf, former CFO Greg Bell and former VP of Marketing Pete Fingerhut.
The Columbus Dispatch previously reported Murnane and Fingerhut used their positions "to blatantly ignore established policies and use a system among themselves to utilize Zoo resources for their personal advantage." The pair agreed to pay back a total of $143,000, according to the zoo.
The zoo said the four former officials' actions resulted in the following losses, totaling $631,651:
- Stalf is responsible for $423,049.00 in losses, plus interest
- Bell is responsible for $138,889.00 in losses, plus interest
- Fingerhut is responsible for $56,981.00 in losses, plus interest
- Murnane is responsible for $12,732.00 in losses, plus interest
The state's investigation revealed that the crimes allegedly took place between 2011 and 2021.
Fingerhut's trial is scheduled to begin on July 9. He was indicted on 62 felony charges and one misdemeanor.
Stalf's trial is set to begin Aug. 6. He's facing three dozen felony charges.
Bell pleaded guilty on Oct. 19 to 14 felony charges, including aggravated theft, conspiracy and tampering with records. Bell will be sentenced after his co-defendant’s cases conclude.
The Columbus Zoo issued the following statement Thursday:
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has taken decisive action to strengthen our financial policies and rebuild public trust. Our Board of Directors, team, and Zoo leadership are fully committed to ensuring a bright future for the Zoo and its community.
Attorney General Dave Yost's office has our full support to actively pursue restitution on behalf of the Zoo and seek justice using the full extent of the law. This underscores our dedication to accountability and transparency.
We remain dedicated to our mission of Empowering People. Saving Wildlife.