Former Eastern Gateway administrators arraigned on charges related to $43,000 theft
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio - Two former Eastern Gateway Community College officials were arraigned in Jefferson County Common Pleas Court after being secretly indicted for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from the institution.
The seven-count indictment unsealed in Steubenville outlines five felony counts and two misdemeanor counts against former Eastern Gateway President Jimmy Bruce of Poland and former college VP and Chief of Staff Jim Miller of Wintersville.
Both Bruce and Miller were indicted on charges of grand theft, theft in office, telecommunications fraud, having an unlawful interest in a public contract, and misuse of credit cards.
Bruce’s indictment, which covers a period spanning from October 2015 through November 2019, alleges that the former college president stole $32,704 and misused his college-issued credit card.
Miller, who is also accused of misusing an EGCC credit card, allegedly stole $10,415 in 2018 and 2019.
The indictment alleges that the men used their authority to secure a public contract in which he, a member of his family, or business associates have an interest.
The college board of trustees ousted Dr. Miller from his job as president in January 2020, citing dereliction of duty and a loss of confidence. Both Bruce and Miller had been placed on leave earlier. EGCC spokesman Dennis Willard tells 21 News the college initiated an investigation after finding accounting irregularities, then contacted the state auditor's office.
Willard issued the following statement Thursday afternoon:
“We take these charges against our former president and former chief of staff who left the college in 2019 very seriously, and we will respect the legal process with the understanding that our great judicial system is predicated on the idea that you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. We have a new president, Dr. John Crooks, who officially became the leader of Eastern Gateway on Friday, and we are positioning the community college for the Ohio and Mahoning valleys to continue to put our students first, support our dedicated and talented faculty and staff, and help our enrollees pursue their dream of a higher education degree at the lowest cost possible.”
