ZANESVILLE, Ohio – A former area fiscal officer whose theft of nearly a half-million dollars in village funds that prompted officials to make residents pay for her financial crimes by adding an income tax, was sentenced to seven years in prison and forced to fofeit her state retirement monies, according to the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office.
Lynn C. Marlatt, 59, appeared in the Muskingum Court of Common Pleas on Feb. 23 to be sentenced for charges that stem from her time as the Fiscal Officer of New Concord. Marlatt stole nearly $500,000 in village funds.
Once Marlatt’s actions were discovered, she was immediately terminated from her position. Auditor of State, Keith Faber’s Office spearheaded the investigation that required reviewing years of financial records from the Village. The State Auditor’s Office Lead investigator John McElhaney, worked with a team of forensic to uncover years of theft and deception on Marlatt’s part. The case was then presented to the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office to review for charges.
The Prosecutor’s Office then presented the case to the Grand Jury which returned an indictment for Theft in Office, a felony of the second-degree, Telecommunications Fraud, a felony of the second-degree, and Tampering with Evidence, a felony of the third-degree.
In December of 2025 Marlatt admitted guilt to all of the charges.
The investigation established Marlatt used her position in the Village of New Concord to steal money from Village accounts for personal use by transferring Village funds from active accounts into an account that was believed to have been closed several years ago.
At the sentencing hearing, the current Mayor of New Concord, Robert Dickson addressed the long-term effects that her theft of taxpayer dollars has had on the community. Dickson explained the thefts resulted in budget shortfalls that impacted staffing and public safety.
As a result of Marlatt’s theft the Village of New Concord experienced a budget shortfall and had to add .75% income tax to residents due to the lack of funds.
After hearing sentencing arguments from the State and the defense, Judge Gerald Anderson sentenced Marlatt to seven years in prison. In addition to the prison sentence Marlatt forfeits all of her state retirement fund and was ordered to pay restitution in the following amounts:
Total restitution amount to New Concord: $475,521.75
Total restitution amount to Ohio Auditor of State $16,359.00
“Stealing from anyone is unacceptable but to steal from your own community is a violation of trust that shakes the public’s confidence and deserves significant consequences,” said Prosecutor Ron Welch. “Those consequences were delivered in this case.”
