Caito is scheduled to be sentenced Friday by Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Dennis Langer.
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“He removed somewhere around $114,000 over the course of a couple years,” union president Darren Harvey wrote in a letter attached to the prosecutor’s sentencing memorandum. “It would be our stance that he should be sentenced to at least that term in jail.
“We were left with .47 in our accounts and were barely able to keep the utilities on so we could try to conduct business as usual. We had lost our Incorporation status and our non-profit status also.”
Court records show Caito has repaid the $92,148.21 as ordered. Caito had his K-9 reassigned within the sheriff’s office and permanently surrendered his Ohio peace officer certification.
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A plea agreement had no stipulated sentence. Caito could receive probation up to five years, local jail time of up to 180 days or a prison term between six and 18 months, plus a possible fine up to $5,000.
The sentencing memorandum written by assistant Montgomery County prosecutor Ward Barrentine said that starting in September 2014, Caito used the Lodge’s debit card for personal transactions, wired money from the Lodge’s accounts into his own account and wrote checks to himself from the Lodge.
Barrentine wrote that to conceal evidence of his theft, Caito claimed checks were reimbursements for various monies he had personally spent for the Lodge’s benefit.
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“Caito violated the basic oath he has taken to uphold the law,” wrote Barrentine, who also advocated for jail time. “Caito has been good at catching those who have broken the law, yet he used that same shield to obscure his own crimes.”
Caito’s thefts continued until Aug. 26, 2016 when officials found “discrepancies in the books” at the lodge. Caito was placed on paid administrative leave pending investigations and resigned Dec. 12, 2016, according to Sheriff Phil Plummer.
“He clearly showed no signs of remorse and simply kept taking any money from the FOP he could get his hands on for personal gain,” Harvey wrote. “With today’s rhetoric about police, this is truly a black eye in public opinion.”
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Caito earned a gross pay of $86,518 in 2015, according to the Dayton Daily News I-Team Payroll Project. In December 2011, Caito and his wife filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Court records show the couple emerged from Chapter 7 in April 2013.
“We as law enforcement are expected to police our own and properly prosecute those who tarnish the badge, not ask for leniency, which would not be expected for any other member of society,” Harvey wrote.
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