Former 1 Voice President Gets Maximum Sentence

By Travis Thayer (Dearborn County, Ind.) – The maximum sentence has been handed down to the man accused of embezzling money from the anti-heroin group he ran. John Bitzer II, the former president of 1 Voice, Inc. came under investigation last November for mishandling funds granted to the non-profit organization that provides advocacy and support for drug addicts who want a new sober way of life. As 1 Voice’s president, Bitzer had been responsible for coordinating the group’s public relations and grant applications. Investigators said Bitzer secretly set up a post office box and changed the bank account address from the executive director’s home to the PO box without permission. Less than three months later, suspicious transactions began to appear with withdrawals from the 1 Voice account matching the amount of deposits into Bitzer’s personal account. According to court documents, Bitzer used the stolen money to pay for his furniture rental, gas and food, in addition to his own drug court fees. Last month, he pleaded guilty to Corrupt Business Influence (Level 5 felony) and Theft (Level 6 felony). He was in Dearborn Superior Court I on July 20 where he was sentenced to the maximum sentence of six years behind bars. Bitzer is also ordered to pay 1 Voice $11,000 in restitution. Prosecuting Attorney Lynn Deddens asked the court to impose the maximum sentence based on Bitzer’s lengthy criminal history. In total, Bitzer has had 15 total convictions, of which five were felonies. RELATED STORIES:  Crimes Unit: Former 1 Voice President Used Grant Money For Personal Expenses Former Anti-Heroin Group Leader Pleads Guilty To Probation, Drug Court Violations Former 1 Voice President Under Investigation For Possible Mishandling Of Funds