News Releases

(CLEVELAND)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced a lawsuit against a Beachwood man accused of misusing charitable assets. 

The lawsuit accuses Kevin Ra, formerly known as Kevin Ramsey, of using his nonprofits – the Housing Court Assistance Program and, previously, the Greater Cleveland Housing Partnership – to benefit himself.

Through the nonprofits, Ra allegedly offers free assistance to homeowners facing violations in Ohio housing courts, but an investigation by the Attorney General’s Charitable Law Section found evidence that Ra used the nonprofits to buy and sell property and failed to use charitable assets for charitable purposes.

The lawsuit lists about $50,000 in questionable expenditures (such as cash withdrawals, car payments, Amazon purchases, and restaurant payments) from the Greater Cleveland Housing Partnership’s bank accounts between 2012 and 2014. It also lists four times the nonprofit bought and then quickly sold property in Cleveland but apparently never received the proceeds.  

Filed in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, the lawsuit accuses Ra of converting nonprofit funds for personal benefit, breaching his fiduciary duties, failing to register charitable trusts with the Attorney General’s Office, and failing to cooperate with an investigation, among other alleged violations. 

In the lawsuit, the Attorney General seeks a reformation of the charitable trust, injunctive relief to prevent Ra from working for a charity in Ohio, civil penalties, damages, and other relief.

Suspected charitable fraud should be reported to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov or 800-282-0515.

-30-

Documents

Media Contacts