The Lorain woman who served as secretary for Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley was sentenced to reimburse the mayor’s election campaign account for the money she stole from it.
Tina Pauley, 38, was indicted secretly Oct. 5, 2022, 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 Lorain County Common Pleas Court records.
At a court hearing Jan. 12, Smith was ordered to pay the remaining $7,790 left of her payments back to the court, which then will be returned to Bradley.
The felony charges were dismissed as part of the agreement, court records show.
Bradley fired Smith on July 13, 2022, as allegations arose regarding her misuse of funds.
The Lorain Police Department investigated the allegations on request of Bradley, which uncovered the theft of more than $20,000, the mayor said.
Based on surveillance video of Smith withdrawing cash from the election account and other evidence, investigators believe she’d been making the illegal transactions for two years, Bradley has said.
Following the police investigation, the matter was referred to the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office for its review, which lead to the secret indictment.
Authorities arrested Smith on Oct. 11 and released her from the Lorain County Jail the same day, according to jail and court records.
At the time, Bradley expressed his disappointment in Smith’s actions.
Bradley said the stolen funds were donations from his supporters who donated to his campaign while he was seeking re-election during the May primary last year.
Pauley was hired Jan. 2, 2020, and was paid $28.85 per hour at the time of her departure from the city’s payroll.
She also worked for Bradley at his private law firm before he took office as mayor in 2020.
Smith couldn’t be reached for comment Jan. 18.
When the investigation began, she declined to comment.
