KETTERING MAN INDICTED FOR THEFT FROM THE OHIO ARMY NATIONAL GUARD FOR FUNERAL HONORS MISSIONS HE DID NOT PERFORM

Posted on 9/1/2015

Defendant: Jason Daniel Edwards

Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced today that the Franklin County Grand Jury has returned an indictment against Jason Daniel Edwards, age 38, for one count Theft in Office (F-3), and one count Tampering with Records (F-3), for a total of two counts.  Former Sergeant First Class Edwards had been on active duty with the Ohio Army National Guard for over 17 years.  Upon reaching 17 years of active duty with the Ohio Army National Guard, a soldier is taken off full time status and moved to part time status.  Between September 2013 and July 2014, Edwards was the Military Funeral Honors Coordinator for Southern Ohio.  It is alleged that during that time period, Edwards filed for mileage reimbursement for funeral honors missions for which he did not participate, was not listed on the operations orders, and substituted his name in the place of another full time soldier.  Edwards was reporting out of the Southwest Region Ohio Army National Guard Office in Kettering, Ohio to the main Ohio Army National Guard office located at the Beightler Armory at 2825 W. Dublin Granville Road in Columbus. It is further alleged in the indictment that the number of times Edwards fraudulently claimed for reimbursement is 130 and the total amount of funds he received for which he was not entitled was $10,852.  “If found guilty on these charges, Edwards faces a potential incarceration of six years”, O’Brien stated.