Editor’s note: The headline on this article has been updated to clarify that former Belmont County coroner Troy Balgo pleaded guilty to fraud. Current Coroner Amanda Fisher is not accused of, nor did she plead guilty to, any crime.

MARTINS FERRY — Former Belmont County coroner Troy Balgo, who is running for the office again with no party affiliation, pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud on Sept. 18.

Balgo, a doctor of osteopathy was the owner and operator of Belmont Urgent Care Center’s walk-in clinic in St. Clairsville. Having been arrested in 2019 as part of a federal drug investigation, Balgo was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with one count of healthcare fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, six counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances, and one count of conspiracy to commit the unlawful distribution of controlled substances.

Balgo allegedly caused and/or conspired to cause submissions for healthcare services that were not performed. The allegations also state that Balgo prescribed controlled substances while he was out of the state or out of the country.

Balgo’s business was raided along with 12 pain medication providers by the Appalachian Region Prescription Opioid Task Force as part of a larger operation to intervene in the alleged illegal distribution of more than 23 million pills.

Along with Balgo, local doctors Freeda Flynn of St. Clairsville and Thomas Romano of Wheeling were also arrested.

Balgo’s original trial was set for Oct. 10, 2023, but it was delayed until Jan. 22, 2024, and then again until Oct 7, 2024.

Court records indicate, however, that Balgo pleaded guilty to health care fraud on Sept. 18 as part of a plea agreement. Although he has not yet been sentenced, based on federal sentencing guidelines that carry mandatory minimums, it is unlikely that Balgo would be able to fulfill the responsibilities of the office if he were elected.

Belmont County residents had a chance to meet some of the local candidates who will appear on the ballot Nov. 5 during an event at the Belmont County District Library on Thursday. Balgo did not appear to address the corwd, despite the fact that the coroner’s office features the only contested county race.

Amanda Fisher, a Republican, became coroner in 2020 and is being challenged by Balgo.

Fisher, who appeared to be unaware of Balgo’s guilty plea filed in Columbus, addressed the attendees Thursday to inform them about what the position of coroner entails. She said she believes that too many people think that all the coroner does is pronounce people deceased and determine the cause and manner of death. She added that although it is her job to do those things, a coroner also determines if somebody needs an autopsy and serves as a comforting hand to the deceased’s family members.

“It’s my job to determine if somebody should have an autopsy or not, which is a very important part of closure for families,” Fisher said. “Sometimes we have folks who pass away unexpectedly, and the hardest part for the families is they want answers of what happened. With an autopsy, most of the time we can give them an answer. The most difficult part is, sometimes even with an autopsy, we can’t give someone a definitive answer.”

She added that when she first decided to run for the office, she was unsure how to campaign for the post. She decided the best way for her to campaign would be to speak with several Belmont County funeral homes, law enforcement officers and emergency medical services personnel. When she began speaking with the different agencies, she said she was informed that when they sought an autopsy through the coroner’s office under Balgo, they often were told it was not in the budget. She said that within the first week of her role as coroner, she met with the Belmont County commissioners, who assured her that no matter what the circumstances are, there will always be a budget for all autopsies she would need to have performed.

“Once I got into office, I truly understood how outdated the coroner’s office was. We didn’t have a physical location, and the morgue had previously been at East Ohio Regional Hospital before it closed for the first time,” Fisher said. “Once the hospital closed, they made the decision to make a temporary morgue. They bought a small shed from Smith’s Sawdust Studio in Bethesda, and it was placed in Morristown.”

Fisher recalls that she was informed that the shed was only supposed to be a temporary morgue, but she believes that Balgo got “lazy” and didn’t search for an alternative solution. She said that once she became coroner, she made it a priority to find a solution to the problem.

“We can’t have the morgue in a shed,” Fisher said. “It’s extremely disrespectful. Sometimes you have to have loved ones come to identify a body. When you’re in the parking lot of the health department with no privacy and you lift up a garage door to a shed that looks like a lawn mower should be in and these folks realize that’s where their loved one is, you feel horrible and you should because that is not an OK place.”

Fisher was able to secure state funds and approached the commissioners asking if she could finally address the temporary shed morgue. She said the commissioners said that she could move forward as long as the new morgue would be on county-owned property. She added that the commissioners mentioned the new health department building that is planned and said if she could bear with them while the new building is constructed and contribute some of the state funding to the project, she would be able to receive a brand new morgue.

“I’m not super thrilled with the timeline on it. I thought that we’d have this new building about a year ago,” Fisher said.

She added that she recently spoke with the architect in charge of the project, and he believes the project should break ground before the end of 2024. The new morgue will have a private viewing room, private discussion area and private entrance and exit. Fisher believes that the private entrance and exit are crucial with the morgue being within the health department so family members of the deceased won’t have to exit through the main lobby of the health department.

Belmont County Chief Deputy James Zusack, an unopposed Republican candidate for sheriff, praised Fisher for the work she does and everything that she’s accomplished. He claimed that in his 33 years working in the sheriff’s office that she is the best coroner he’s ever worked with.

“Your empathy goes a long way,” Zusack said.

Belmont County Job and Family Services Fiscal Administrator Jack Regis Jr. echoed Zusack’s compliments because of his 30 years working in fire and EMS services for Martins Ferry.

“The last four years, it’s been reassuring seeing the actual coroner, not a deputy or assistant coroner, on the scene or on the telephone waiting hours for a coroner to show up,” Regis Jr. said.