Former Columbus Zoo financial officer sentenced to three years in prison for fraud

DELAWARE, Ohio – The former chief financial officer of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was sentenced to three years in prison Monday after pleading guilty last year to fraud and other crimes.

Greg Bell is one of four zoo officials charged with fraud involving at least $2.3 million. In addition to his prison sentence, Bell must pay $583,697 in restitution, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Bell had previously agreed to pay the zoo separate civil damages.

“Greg Bell succumbed to the temptation to enrich himself and his family at the zoo's expense,” Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. “Today's ruling should serve as a warning to those who dare to defraud taxpayers.”

Bell pleaded guilty on October 19, 2023, to 14 counts, including grand theft, conspiracy and forgery. As part of his guilty plea, he agreed to cooperate with investigators.

Former zoo general manager Tom Stalf, former zoo marketing director Pete Fingerhut and former zoo buyer Tracy Murnane have all pleaded guilty. All are awaiting sentencing.

As part of his guilty plea, Stalf has agreed to pay the zoo, the state of Ohio and the IRS $315,572 in restitution. He has already repaid $400,000. Fingerhut has agreed to pay the zoo, the state of Ohio and the IRS more than $675,000 in restitution.

Murnane pleaded guilty to six counts and two misdemeanors.

According to investigators, between 2011 and 2021, the former executives manipulated credit card and check authorization forms to steal money for their own use. They are accused of spending the money on suites and tickets to concerts and sporting events, golf memberships, multiple trips across the U.S. and other countries, meals and alcohol, and vehicles.

Investigators say the former executives bribed and extorted zoo vendors. At one point, they traded zoo tickets for tickets to the 2016 World Series between Cleveland and the Chicago Cubs. Fingerhut is accused of jeopardizing a vendor's business opportunities if the vendor did not pay him large sums of money.