ATHENS, Ohio — The Athens Metropolitan Housing Authority sold its imprisoned ex-executive director’s former home in November — to recoup funds that she stole.
The sale represents a major milestone in AMHA’s work to recover as much as possible of the over $2.3 million its former executive director, Jodi Rickard, pled guilty to stealing from the housing authority over the course of her tenure.
“Now that AMHA is receiving funds as restitution, it is identifying opportunities to sustainably expand its services,” AMHA attorney David Mott told the Independent in an email. He said AMHA is not yet able to be more specific about how funds will be used.
So far, Mott said, the housing authority has recouped a little over a half-million dollars through court-ordered restitution.
More than half of AMHA’s total restitution so far came from the sale of the Rickards’ personal residence at 6630 Meadowbrook Road in Albany. The house sold for $275,000 on Nov 1.
AMHA acquired the property — which the Rickards forfeited as part of Jodi Rickard’s criminal sentencing — from the Athens County Commissioners.
The remaining restitution to AMHA came through the court-ordered forfeiture of Jodi Rickard’s state retirement account and deferred compensation account, with smaller amounts coming from assets at Hocking Valley Bank and the Ohio University Credit Union.
While AMHA’s former interim executive director previously told the Independent that AMHA would likely never be made whole from Jodi Rickard’s theft, Mott said AMHA is still working to secure additional restitution.
He declined to comment on specifics, however, citing the possibility of future litigation.
The Rickards’ property was sold after multiple lawsuits related to the property mortgage and the assets of Jodi Rickard’s ex-husband, Kevin Rickard. AMHA spent just under $14,000 on the cases, Mott said, including legal fees and court costs.
Litigation before sale
Rocket Mortgage sued AMHA in November 2023 because the Rickards took out a mortgage on their home that they had not paid off before forfeiture.
According to the Rocket Mortgage lawsuit, the Rickards executed a $150,000 mortgage on Feb. 3, 2023 – just 10 days before Jodi Rickard’s indictment. AMHA had placed Jodi Rickard on leave during an investigation into her theft months earlier, in December 2022.
In April, AMHA sued the Rickards because the Rocket Mortgage lawsuit was delaying the sale of the home. In August, AMHA and Kevin Rickard reached a settlement agreement, in which Kevin Rickard sold off personal property — much of which he won from Jodi Rickard in the course of their divorce, finalized in May 2024. Kevin Rickard used profits from the sales of his personal property to pay off the debt to Rocket Mortgage.
Rocket Mortgage dismissed its case against AMHA in September 2024.
Mott told the Independent in an email that the Rocket Mortgage lawsuit “no longer mattered once Mr. Rickard repaid the loan. Accordingly, Rocket Mortgage dismissed the case.”
Some of the items Kevin Rickard sold included property located at 2847 Hebbardsville Road, a Dodge Ram truck, a Kubota tractor, a Correct Craft Sport boat and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Following the settlement, AMHA dismissed its case against Kevin Rickard “with prejudice,” meaning the agency cannot pursue further legal action against him on the same grounds. The case against Jodi Rickard, however, was dismissed “without prejudice” — leaving open the possibility of further claims against her.
Kevin Rickard’s attorney declined to comment for this story.
Kevin Rickard and attorneys for Rocket Mortgage did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
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