By Nathan Leaf
Enquirer Columbus Bureau

        COLUMBUS -A child support advocacy group asked the U.S. Attorney's Office in Cleveland on Monday to prosecute state officials responsible for withholding $38 million in child support payments.

        A year after they agreed to repay the money, officials have so far refunded only $4.3 million to about 19,000 Ohio families.

        The Association for Children for Enforcement of Support (ACES) said the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services isn't moving fast enough and it wants federal prosecutors to determine who is to blame.

        “Someone has to be held responsible for this,” said ACES Ohio Projects Director Lisa Redieck about a letter her agency sent to U.S. Attorney Emily Sweeney asking her to investigate possible criminal charges.

        Last year, state officials admitted they knew that a new state computer program set up to collect and distribute child support payments would illegally withhold millions owed to deserving families. They said they didn't have enough time to fix the program and meet a federal deadline to centralize Ohio's child support payment system.

        Department spokesman Jon Allen said he expects all the families that qualify to receive their checks by April. He said the agency is not concerned with the allegations made by ACES.

        William Edwards, assistant U.S. attorney for northern Ohio, said his office had received the letter from ACES but had no comment.

        Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services spokeswoman Laurie Petrie said no families have received refunds yet. She said county officials hope to send out the first checks at the end of August and be done by December.

        Ms. Petrie said the county still needs to review 18,673 child support cases to find out who is owed money. County officials estimate the extra work will cost between $617,000 and $1.2 million, she said.