Orville Hodge
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Orville Enoch Hodge (born October 1, 1904, Anderson, Indiana - died 29 December 1986, Edwardsville, Illinois) was the Auditor of Public Accounts (predecessor to the office of Comptroller) of the state of Illinois from 1953 to 1956. During his term of office, he embezzled $6.15 million of state funds, mainly by altering and forging cheques that were paid on the state's account.
Hodge was raised in Granite City, Illinois from the age of four; he and his family owned land and businesses in the area. In 1946, he married Margaret Coudy of Granite City (they had a son) and he was elected to the Illinois House, where he served three terms.
In 1954, he used forged accounting records to prove that his department was bankrupt, obtaining a $525,000 emergency appropriation which he kept for himself. With the money, he purchased two private jets, 30 automobiles (including four Cadillacs and a Rolls-Royce imported from Britain) and multiple properties in Florida and Illinois.
Upon indictment, he pleaded guilty to 54 bank fraud, embezzlement and forgery charges and was sentenced to a 12 to 15 year prison term. He was released in 1970 and went to work at his sister's hardware store in Granite City until his death at the age of 82.
