When Joseph Ruhlin was supposed to be watching over the Akron fire union’s funds the past six years, detectives say he instead was stealing them.
And, detectives now say, the extent of this theft was much larger than the union originally thought — totaling more than $600,000.
“It’s a staggering amount,” said Russ Brode, president of the 322-member fire union. “We had too much trust in one person in this position — and it was abused.”
Ruhlin, 40, of Akron, was indicted this week on five felonies, including aggravated theft and theft in office.