HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The embezzlement trial of a former Huntington Area Food Bank executive director is tentatively scheduled to begin in February.
Leigh Ann Zappin, 56, of Huntington, is accused of taking more than $23,000 from the Huntington Area Food Bank during a nine month period in 2012 when she was leading the agency. She resigned in Oct. 2012 citing medical reasons.
In January of this year, Zappin was arrested and charged with 17 criminal counts that included embezzlement, forgery and uttering.
This is the third time Zappin has been accused of taking money from an employer. Past instances have centered on alleged embezzlement from Ferguson Land Company in Huntington and Chic Wigs in Barboursville.
Officials said she initially started working with the Huntington Area Food Bank in 2008 as part of a community service program for one of her prior embezzlement convictions. Zappin became executive director in 2010.
The Huntington Area Food Bank serves 17 counties in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio and partners with hundreds of feeding programs. The Food Bank’s annual budget is more than $6 million.