DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) — One of five former Columbus Zoo and Aquarium executives learned his fate, after facing a slew of charges adjacent to a $2.3 million theft investigation.
Tracy Murnane, 65, was a purchasing agent for the zoo, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Some of his charges pertained to aiding former CEO Tom Stalf in using the organization’s funds to buy personal property. On Monday, a Delaware County Common Pleas Court judge sentenced him to 60 days in jail, as well as three years of community control.
Watch: Former Columbus zoo executive sentences in grand theft, fraud case
The Westerville resident previously pleaded guilty July 8 to six felonies and two misdemeanors, including:
- A grand theft charge that combines several actions worth between $7,500 and $150,000: selling cars to the zoo with a straw seller, using the zoo barter system for personal purchases and attending events at Nationwide Arena and the Schottenstein Center with tickets the zoo paid for
- While working as a zoo purchaser, selling services from his family’s business to the zoo
- Aiding another defendant, Stalf, in using $45,000 in zoo funds to buy a car for Stalf’s personal use
- Purchasing vehicles without obtaining a certificate of title, including four Corvettes, years 2001, 2000, 1996 and 1968, along with a 1965 Ford and a 2009 Chevrolet PT.
- Filing tax returns for 2019 without accounting for his fraudulent gains.
Murnane is now the third zoo executive to receive a sentencing as of Monday. Greg Bell, the former chief financial officer, received three years in prison on Aug. 19 after pleading guilty to 14 charges. Grant Bell, the fifth employee charged, received two years of community control and orders to pay back $8,000 after pleading guilty to a single charge.
Former marketing director Pete Fingerhut was set for a Monday sentencing on 16 felony charges as well, but court records confirmed his hearing was rescheduled to Oct. 28. He joins Stalf, who is awaiting an Oct. 14 sentencing on 15 felony charges he admitted to.
A 2021 investigation by the law firm Porter Wright alleged that the former executives for the Columbus Zoo misused zoo funds to attend sporting events, allow family members to live in zoo-owned houses, award a no-bid contract for construction at The Wilds, and make other personal purchases.