On Wednesday, September 4, 2024, the Dayton Daily News reported that Montgomery County Municipal Court had transferred a total of $200,000 over four years to the Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Office to fund information technology work.
According to records obtained by the Daily News, $50,000 was sent annually from 2021 through 2024 from the municipal court to the clerk’s office for IT support and services for the judicial staff. All four transfers were approved by indicted Municipal Court Judge James Piergies.
Piergies faces charges of having an unlawful interest in a public contract regarding his son’s employment. Robert Piergies worked for the county from 2018 through June 2024, first under his father at the municipal court and then starting in 2020 at the clerk’s office as a desktop support technician.
In an interview with Daily News, Robert Piergies said while his father never directly told him, there were implications that some of the money Judge Piergies approved to transfer to the clerk’s office was intended to fund his IT salary. He claimed his former software technician position at the office was eliminated due to his employment.
Records also show Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Mike Foley, who was indicted along with Judge Piergies, replaced a software technician job with a desktop support technician role in 2020. If found guilty, the judge and clerk face charges involving unlawful interest in a public contract, theft in office, and electoral violations. Both men have pleaded not guilty and await trial.
The accusations stem from an investigation into Foley’s office by State Auditor Keith Faber’s office that began in 2022. Judge Piergies was suspended by the Ohio Supreme Court after being indicted in July.
Source: Dayton Daily News
