By Jim Hannah
The Cincinnati Enquirer

BURLINGTON - Prosecutors are at $2.8 million and still counting.

That's the figure listed in new indictments by a Boone County grand jury Tuesday against Ronald Joseph Epling, who is charged with embezzling the funds from Florence city coffers in what's turning into the largest public corruption case in Tristate history.

With Tuesday's indictments, the 51-year-old Delhi Township resident now stands charged with 35 counts of felony theft. He remains in the Boone County jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

The size of the embezzlement case could grow exponentially after detectives finish reviewing financial documents. Auditors have examined bank statements from eight of the 15 years in question..

Tuesday's indictments revealed that prosecutors contend Ron Epling took, on at least two dates, a quarter-million dollars at a time.

"We anticipate returning to the grand jury if additional charges are appropriate after we have the opportunity to review all the bank records when the subpoenas are honored," said Boone Commonwealth Attorney Linda Tally Smith.

It is unclear if federal charges will be filed against Epling. His attorney, Burr Travis of Florence, confirmed the Department of Justice has seized a total of $400,000 from four accounts controlled by Epling at various Tristate banks.

"We anticipate filing not guilty pleas on the 35 counts," Travis said.

The 14-page indictment outlines 35 thefts from Florence's capital improvements account from August 1995 to Aug. 26, 2002.

The two largest thefts were of $250,000 each on Oct. 16, 1998, and Oct. 13, 1999. The smallest amount was for $9,280 on May 16, 2001.

The soft-spoken accountant is accused of stashing away miscellaneous checks written to the city, a state police detective has testified. Authorities say Epling would then improperly deposit those checks in a city account called "capital improvements."

He did this to cover up periodic thefts from the city's general fund, in which he intercepted checks written to capital improvements and put them instead in his personal bank accounts, police say.

Epling spent the money, in part, on gambling trips to Las Vegas and houses for his live-in girlfriend and his estranged wife, an FBI agent has testified.

Epling is scheduled to be arraigned in Boone Circuit Court at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

E-mail jhannah@enquirer.com