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    • Former director of the Columbus Zoo, Peter Fingerhut, convicted in theft scandal
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    Former director of the Columbus Zoo, Peter Fingerhut, convicted in theft scandal

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    The last of five former Columbus Zoo and Aquarium employees was sentenced Monday to five years in prison, ending a four-year investigation into a scheme to steal nearly $2.3 million, along with legal maneuvers and prison terms. the prison for top zoo executives.

    Along with the prison terms, Delaware County Judge David Gormley ordered restitution of $639,297 and a $10,000 fine from Peter Fingerhut, the zoo’s former marketing director. Fingerhut will be eligible for parole in four years.

    Defense barrister Diane Menashe told Gormley that her client was less culpable than others in the scandal and that Fingerhut had shown remorse, in part because he had worked at the GetGo market and gas station in Dublin last year.

    “I dare say taking on this level of work is a fall from grace,” said Menashe, who asked for a sentence of less than five years. “It literally stocked shelves in a convenience store.”

    Fingerhut, 66, wept openly as he told Gormley: “I make no apologies for the crimes I have committed.” Charges included grand theft, conspiracy, tampering with records, wire fraud and forgery.

    “What I know for sure is that I will continue to do the right thing and, day by day, I will show the community that I am more than the facts of this case.”

    Along with his boss, former CEO Tom Stalf, Fingerhut was considered the mastermind of a decade-long heist. Known as “The Ticketmaster,” Fingerhut set up VIP ticket deals for himself, his family, and sports and entertainment venues for promotional use at the zoo. He “ordered” luxury boxes at the Schottenstein Center, Nationwide Arena and other venues, according to Daniel Kasaris, the Ohio attorney general’s special counsel.

    Kasaris called Fingerhut’s role “the most egregious, obnoxious, and cavalier of all the defendants.”

    Kasaris also called Fingerhut a liar who, unlike other zoo employees already convicted, cooperated with authorities and showed resentment.

    In May 2023, when state officials interviewed Fingerhut, he repeatedly lied to investigators about the theft and cover-ups, despite evidence to the contrary from the Ohio auditor and attorney general, Kasaris said.

    “When given the opportunity to reveal his conduct, (Fingerhut) chose to lie to investigators and continue to cover up his crime,” according to Kasaris’ sentencing notice, calling Fungerhut’s crimes a “greedy spending spree on the back of the zoo”. donors, taxpayers and customers”.

    Earlier this month, Stalf, the former CEO, was sentenced to seven years in prison and was ordered to pay restitution of $315,573 in addition to the $400,000 already paid to the zoo by his former employer Germain Motor Company.

    In August, former CFO Greg Bell was sentenced to three years in prison and $583,697 in restitution, which he had already paid. His son, Grant Bell, who worked in procurement, received two years of community control and $8,554 in restitution for accepting goods and services intended for the zoo.

    And last month, Tracy Murnane, the former director of procurement, was sentenced to six months in prison and $90,000 in restitution, which has also been repaid.

    In 2018, the zoo’s board became aware of the suspicious use of credit cards by top executives, leading to the discovery of ticket contracts with the Nationwide Arena, Schottenstein Center and Dublin Irish Festival, which included VIP tickets, food and alcohol . The council concluded those contracts.

    But Fingerhut used the zoo’s advertising agency to maintain the contracts so that contract expenses bypassed the zoo and were billed as advertising expenses.

    The zoo’s philanthropy department was unaware of the contracts. And entertaining donors in such places was not part of their fundraising strategies.

    Nicolle Gomez Racey, Fingerhut’s replacement as director of marketing, said Fingerhut “knew his actions were wrong and covered them up and lied … It was a crime against the values ​​of the Columbus Zoo.

    From 2015 to 2019, the zoo spent a large portion of its advertising budget with The Dispatch Media Group and WBNS, according to sentencing details provided to the judge. The companies offered the zoo and other advertisers incentive travel packages for meeting annual spending thresholds.

    Fingerhut and his wife have attended every year, including a 2015 river cruise to Hungary, Austria and Germany valued at $8,525 per person; a nine-day trip to Auckland and Queenstown, New Zealand in 2016, valued at $12,735 per person; and a 2017 trip to the Galapagos Islands, valued at $13,000 per person.

    In 2019, the couple took a nine-day trip to Switzerland and Italy, valued at $12,000 per person. The Dispatch and WBNS sent letters to the zoo for tax reporting purposes, but Fingerhut never reported the value of the trips as taxable income.

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