Former Troop Leader Indicted for Stealing Girl Scout Cookie Money

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boxes of Girl Scout cookies
boxes of Girl Scout cookies

Shutterstock / Sheila Fitzgerald

In the pantheon of crimes, stealing candy from a baby is about as low as it comes. But stealing cookie money from Girl Scouts certainly isn't going to earn you much sympathy either (especially during cookie season!)—and an Ohio woman has been accused of doing exactly that.

Yesterday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the grand jury indictment of a 49-year-old former Girl Scouts troop leader for allegedly stealing about $12,500 from her scouts' annual cookie-selling fundraiser and other events over the course of five years.

Jill Gauthier of Pataskala "was literally caught with her hand in the cookie jar—an adult-size jar that should carry an adult-size timeout in a place with locking doors and barred windows," Yost stated. "How many boxes of Thin Mints will her troop need to sell to make up for her betrayal?"

The Attorney General's Office says authorities were informed of suspicions about Gauthier—who was apparently the only one with access to these funds—by concerned parents. An unnamed source told Columbus's ABC 6/FOX 28 that, beyond the supposed cookie impropriety, Gauthier "asked parents for money for various field trips and pocketed [it]," and that after leaving her position, "there was no money left in the troop bank account." The Newark Advocate stated that the alleged incidents took place from 2013 to 2018.

The Pataskala Police Department, along with the A.G.'s Charitable Law Section, said their investigation uncovered that Gauthier was putting funds into personal bank accounts which she then allegedly used for personal purchases. The resulting theft charge is a fourth-degree felony in the state, which the site Law & Crime says carries a maximum penalty of up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. Gauthier reportedly pleaded not guilty on March 1 and is due to return to court on May 5.

Meanwhile, this announcement isn't the only sad Girl Scout cookie story this week. On Monday, a man appeared in court for allegedly stealing 23 cases of cookies worth about $1,250 from a loading dock, according to CBS Minnesota.

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