2 former workers to pay back Columbus Zoo for misused funds

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and its former chief financial officer have reached an agreement to repay the zoo after he and other executives were found to have misused zoo resources, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses for the taxpayer-supported nonprofit.

Former zoo CFO Greg Bell has agreed to repay the zoo $132,000, board Chairman Keith Shumate said. The board approved the settlement with Bell at a special meeting Wednesday, Shumate said.

Bell and former zoo CEO Tom Stalf resigned in March of last year after Dispatch reporting revealed the two men allowed their relatives to live in zooowned properties at below-market rents, and sought tickets and suites to concerts and entertainment events – resources intended for hosting zoo supporters and building donor relations – for themselves and their family members.

Misspending and questionable business practices by Stalf and Bell, as well as two other employees, cost the zoo at least $631,000, a forensic audit later found. Zoo assets were used

improperly for executives’ personal items, including concert tickets, golf memberships, Amazon purchases, satellite radio subscriptions and vehicles, the audit found.

Tracy Murnane, former director of purchasing, also reached a settlement with the zoo, and has agreed to pay back $11,000, Shumate said.

Forensic auditors found Bell was responsible for nearly $139,000 of the $631,000 in losses, while Murnane was responsible for nearly $13,000.

While the settlement amounts for the two men fell short of the total estimated losses auditors assigned to their actions, Shumate said the amounts were a compromise.

“I think the numbers were fair,” Shumate said.

Stalf was responsible for the large majority – $423,000 – of losses, according to the forensic audit. And Pete Fingerhut, the zoo’s former vice president of marketing and sales, was responsible for nearly $57,000 in losses, auditors found.

The zoo has not reached settlements with Stalf or Fingerhut, Shumate said, and the zoo board has agreed to take any steps necessary to collect what is owed.

Board officials are still hopeful they can reach an agreement with Stalf and Fingerhut . But, “everything’s on the table,” Shumate said, including legal action.

Bell’s attorney, Sam Shamansky, said Wednesday evening that there were some disputed portions of the audit, which is how the parties arrived at the settlement figure, “which we believe represents an accurate approximation of the restitution owed,” he said.

Within weeks of his resignation, Shamansky said Bell was committed to reimbursing the zoo. The money had already been paid back to the zoo by Wednesday night, Shamansky said.

“Mr. Bell, from Day One, has recognized the lapses in judgment and has accepted responsibility for the same, and believes that the best way to show an understanding is to repay the funds to which he was not entitled,” Shamansky said.

Brad Barbin, representing Murnane, said he and the former zoo purchasing director do not agree with the assertions of the forensic audit, but wanted to move on from what Barbin described as a “bad situation.”

“Organizations are supposed to have systems in place to identify when bosses are out of control,” Barbin said. “The zoo didn’t have that system in place. The payment of $11,000 is (Murnane’s) attempt to make amends for this situation.”

jsmola@dispatch.com