Documents: Former Marion County employee studied law on Circuit Court Clerk's dime
Apr. 12—FAIRMONT — The Marion County Circuit Clerk's Office reimbursed a former employee almost $50,000 from 2019 to 2022 for payments made to West Virginia University, according to records obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.
Current Circuit Clerk Belinda Biafore said the payments were unrelated to any function performed by Circuit Clerk employees. The state auditor's office is investigating.
"The county wants to get to the bottom of this, find the truth of the matter," County Attorney Chuck Shields said. "Determine if there has been any wrongdoing."
Shields urged caution, deeming it unwise to jump to conclusions until the full story is revealed.
A Freedom Of Information Act request produced the records related to the payments. Robin Tucker, a former employee of the circuit clerk's office, is listed as the recipient of the funds. Tucker is listed as the chief deputy in the reimbursement receipts. The office also paid roughly $6,500 into an account at the First National Bank of Omaha in 2023. WVU Banner Tuition, GRE test reimbursement and WVU Hub are listed in the description field of the reimbursements made to both Tucker and First National Bank of Omaha.
WVU Director of News Communication Shauna Johnson said Banner is a system used by university staff, advisers and faculty to provide services to students like grading, advising and application submission. Star Self Service Banner is where students can view financial aid, pay tuition, register for classes and view schedules. Johnson added that the most common way for a tuition payment to show up on a bank statement is "WVU BANNER TUITI 62 MORRILL WAY 1010."
Biafore said the clerk's office does not use Banner or any similar system.
The clerk's office made the payments during Rhonda Starn's tenure as circuit clerk. Starn departed from the position earlier this year citing family-related reasons. Biafore discovered the payments after assuming the clerk's role and reported them to the state for investigation. Biafore was appointed to the clerk's office earlier this year after Starn's departure. Although Tucker carried over into Biafore's office, she left after Biafore made Tucker's position redundant.
"The discrepancies were found after Tucker's departure," Biafore said.
Starn's signature is on the Marion County Commission's expense form for reimbursements. However, Biafore pointed out the office had a stamp with Starns' signature on it. Those stamps have been removed from circulation.
Starn could not be reached by phone or text before press time.
On Tucker's LinkedIn, it shows her pursuing a Master's in legal studies, with an expected graduation date of May 2024. A separate printout of Tucker's LinkedIn account provided with the documents from the Freedom of Information Act Request show a second Master's degree in organizational communication that began in December 2023 with an expected graduation date of May 2026. Her LinkedIn also shows Tucker was an administrative clerk of the 16th Circuit Judicial Court for 16 years.
Among the items reimbursed by the clerk's office was a Grammarly Premium subscription, which was billed directly to the Circuit Clerk's Office. A payment for an LSAT course, priced at roughly $1,700, was made. The Law School Admission Council received $440 in 2021. Another payment to Villanova University for almost $2,300 was made in December 2023. The signature on the approval stamp appears to read, Robin Tucker. Other books related to media and law studies were also purchased.
A financial forensic examiner from the Public Integrity and Fraud Unit in Charleston is working on the case. Their representative did not return an email or phone call confirming the investigation by press time.
Reach Esteban at efernandez@timeswv.com
