FAIRMONT — A Marion County Commission employee was arrested and charged with a felony count of forgery.
Diana Jill Cosco, 34, of Fairmont, was arrested Thursday and charged with forging the name of another county employee on a check from the Marion County Development Authority, according to Alan Parks, commission president.
Cosco, an administrative assistant for the commission, allegedly forged Kris Cinalli’s name on a $932 check without his knowledge, according to the criminal complaint obtained from the Marion County Magistrates office.
Cinalli is the Marion County Commission’s office manager. He also has control of the Marion County Development Authority’s checkbook.
“We were shocked,” Parks said about the arrest of the employee who had worked in the office for around three years.
“It’s like this happened to one of your kids,” he added. “You just don’t know whether to punish them or hug them.”
According to Parks, Cosco had allegedly forged the check on July 30, two days after returning from a two-week vacation taken for personal reasons. Parks added that the discrepancy was discovered Aug. 11 when the bank statement for the development authority arrived in the commission office.
The State Police were then called in to investigate the case. The officer, Cpl. M.R. Camden with the Fairmont detachment of the State Police, confronted Cosco about the situation, according to the criminal complaint. During the interview, Cosco allegedly admitted to forging the check without Cinalli’s knowledge. She had also allegedly told the trooper that she had written the check to herself because she was in a financial bind and had intended to pay the money back before being caught, according to the complaint.
Cosco was arrested and appeared before Marion County Magistrate Hank Middlemas. She was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond, Middlemas said. If convicted, Cosco could be sentenced to one to 10 years in the penitentiary, or at the discretion of the court, no more than one year in jail and fined not more than $500.
E-mail Paul Fallon at pfallon@timeswv.com.
In Today's TWV
August 14, 2008
County employee charged with forgery
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