COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The same state agency at the center of a long drama over misspent money and power politics was back in the spotlight Wednesday.

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation was at the center of controversy for making risky investments with state money, directed by a close friend of former Gov. Bob Taft.

What later became known as the “coin scandal” led to a near sweep of political offices by democratic candidates in the 2006 election.

The former investment manager, Tom Noe, was sentenced to prison on an unrelated federal charge.

This time an employee of the BWC has been accused of using state time and equipment to coordinate auditions and other work for a local theater group.

Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles said James Mathis, a customer service assistant at BWC, used his state phone and computer to do business for the theater group on state time.

“Much of the email traffic was related to these activities and took place during regular work hours,” Charles said.

The investigation began when an investigator noticed a flier on the Columbus State Community College campus advertising auditions for an upcoming production of “A Raisin In The Sun.”

The advertisement listed Mathis as a person to contact for more information and listed his state telephone number and email address.

An investigative report from the state inspector general said the BWC employee handbook prohibits the use of public time or resources while engaging in private, outside work.

Of the 1,064 local phone calls by Mathis, 600 were identified as non-work related.

From Jan. 2, 2007 to Jan. 31, 2008 investigators found Mathis talked on the telephone for 59 hours, 55 minutes in non-work related conversations.

The case was turned over to the Columbus City Prosecutor for review.

Jim.otte@whiotv.com