Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley released details of the investigation regarding his former secretary who was indicted earlier this month by a Lorain County Common Pleas Court grand jury for allegedly siphoning more than $20,000 out of his election campaign account for two years.
Tina Pauley, 38, of Lorain, was secretly indicted Oct. 5 under her maiden name of Smith on a charge of grand theft, a first-degree felony, and election falsification, a fifth-degree felony, according to court records.
Earlier this summer, Bradley asked the Lorain Police Department to investigate the matter.
The police issued subpoenas to the obtain surveillance video of Smith withdrawing cash from the election account in addition to other evidentiary material, Bradley said.
“Based on that information, they believe it was going on for probably two years, somewhere in that neighborhood,” he said.
The Police Department then turned the investigation over to the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office for its review, which resulted in the secret indictment, Bradley said.
Smith was arrested Oct. 11 and released from the Lorain County Jail the same day on a $5,000 bond, according to jail and court records.
Bradley has had a four-year working relationship with Smith.
He said he hired her at his private office two years prior to taking office as mayor.
“I gave her the opportunity to come and work for the city,” Bradley said. “It was very disappointing.
“I’m hoping that the money is paid back and she gets her life back on track. I’m not here to destroy anyone’s life.”
Bradley said the funds do not technically belong to him as the money is all donations from his supporters who donated to his campaign while he was seeking re-election during the May primary,.
“So, really it was more or less a theft from the people who supported me,” the mayor said. “Those were their funds.”
During an arraignment hearing presided over by Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Melissa Kobasher, Smith pleaded not guilty to the charges, records show.
She is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing Oct. 27, court records show.
Attorney Sharlene Ramsey has been retained by Smith to defend her.
Smith couldn’t be reached for comment Oct. 26.
However, when the investigation began, she declined to comment.
