State audit still ongoing in downtown Pasco embezzlement case

Sentencing for the former executive director of the Downtown Pasco Development Authority again has been delayed because a state audit is not complete.

Michael A. Goins, 36, now is scheduled to be sentenced March 29 in Franklin County Superior Court.

He faces a year in state prison for admitting first-degree theft with aggravating circumstances.

Goins, who had no criminal history, normally would have been looking at minimal jail time. However, he agreed to the exceptional sentence as part of the plea deal, so long as the amount of embezzled money does not exceed $150,000.

Prosecutors believe he took at least $90,000 from the nonprofit agency over two years. He used the money to pay personal bills and for airplane tickets to visit his kids in New Jersey.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 6:17 PM with the headline "State audit still ongoing in downtown Pasco embezzlement case."