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	Treatment Center Is Target of Audit to Look for Fraud By Rick Armon and Colette M. Jenkins Beacon Journal November 17, 2010 http://www.ohio.com/news/108608459.html The fallout from the Rev. Samuel Ciccolini scandal continues for the Interval Brotherhood Home. The Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services board, which funds IBH, is hiring a forensic accountant to audit the nonprofit agency's internal controls and finances. ''We take our responsibility as stewards of public money very seriously, and we want to make sure that no money was fraudulently spent,'' ADM board Chairwoman Dawn Jones said. The board also has tabled IBH's budget request for $2.67 million for next year, pending some assurance money wasn't stolen. Better known as ''Father Sam,'' Ciccolini was sentenced last month on federal banking and tax fraud charges to one day in custody, fined $350,000 and ordered to pay $3.5 million in restitution to the Interval Brotherhood Home Foundation — the nonprofit's fundraising arm that he embezzled from by falsifying invoices and financial records. Ciccolini is serving as a counselor at IBH. An announcement was made to the staff Monday that he will retire from the nonprofit at the end of the year. His status with the Diocese of Cleveland remains under review. At the time of his sentencing, Ciccolini, a Catholic priest based at Immaculate Conception church in Akron, had more than $5.59 million in cash, stocks, and bonds, even after voluntarily repaying $1.28 million taken from the foundation and after having paid $292,136 in back taxes, according to court records. Jones and ADM interim Executive Director Jerry Craig said they don't believe any public money was misappropriated from the Interval Brotherhood Home, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Coventry Township that Ciccolini led from 1970 until he was charged earlier this year. ''We feel relatively confident that it hasn't been [misappropriated], but we just felt it would be prudent for us to verify that,'' Craig said. He and Jones said IBH will reimburse the county agency for the cost of the audit. As for the budget request being delayed, Craig said: ''We really don't want to interrupt services out there. There's nothing that indicates that there is a problem out there.'' He said the ADM board could opt to approve funding on a month-to-month basis pending the outcome of the audit. Jones said the board will revisit the budget request at its regular meeting in December. The board hasn't hired an accounting firm yet, and it's not known how long the audit would take to complete. Tim Killian, president of the foundation's board of trustees, and Ed Stanford, interim executive director at the nonprofit, said IBH will cooperate fully with the county board. ''We understand that the ADM board is responsible to the taxpayers of our community and the need for the board to take responsible action to assure the community that Father Sam's actions had no effect or involvement on the home,'' Stanford said. ''We fully support the audit and believe it will show that no tax dollars were involved in the actions of Father Sam.'' Meanwhile, attorneys for Ciccolini have indicated in court filings they might appeal the sentence. U.S. Judge James Gwin has stayed the fine and restitution and extended the deadline to appeal to Dec. 3. Carolyn Kaye Ranke, one of Ciccolini's attorneys, said they are ''pursuing our options'' and expect to file an appeal by the deadline. They were satisfied with the lack of a prison sentence but felt the financial sanctions were excessive, she said. U.S. Assistant Attorney Robert Bulford said federal prosecutors plan to file a notice of appeal and are seeking final approval from the U.S. Department of Justice to move forward. Prosecutors were unhappy Ciccolini received only one day in custody, which has already been served.
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