News Releases

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Miami County Prosecutor Gary Nasal today announced that Theodore Thomas, the accused ringleader of a telemarketing fraud ring from Ohio and Florida that stole millions of dollars from thousands of victims in 41 states since 2007, has pleaded guilty.
 
Thomas, previously of Huber Heights, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to a first-degree felony for engaging in a pattern of corrupt activities. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 11 years.

Rachael Johnson, 24, was last seen alive during the overnight  hours of March 30, 1991.  Her body was discovered later that day in the 700 block of Weller Avenue.  The single mother had been sexually assaulted, stabbed, and set on fire.

According to prosecutors with the Attorney General's special prosecutions unit, Shepherd arranged for the sale of 24 properties in Summit and Stark counties at prices that were inflated by phony appraisals.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today issued a report indicating that more than 76,000 concealed carry licenses were issued in Ohio in 2012, the largest number since licenses were first issued in 2004.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced that today's release of a monitor's report shows that more than 7,000 Ohioans have received more than $280 million in consumer relief from the National Mortgage Settlement announced one year ago.

The act, which is intended to strengthen the existing Adult Protective Services Law, aims to improve the response to elder abuse incidents and encourage reporting of elder abuse cases.

"Our agents are working right now to determine if these cases are connected, but regardless of whether these crimes are being committed by one person or multiple offenders it is a very serious situation," said Attorney General DeWine.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Attorney General Mike DeWine today joined 29 other states in announcing a $29 million settlement with Toyota Motor Corporation and its related North American entities over allegations Toyota concealed safety issues related to unintended acceleration. Ohio, a lead state in the investigation, will receive just over $1.7 million as a result of this settlement.
 
"When it comes to our vehicles, safety is the most important factor," DeWine said. "This settlement will help better protect those on Ohio's roads by ensuring greater communication within Toyota and more timely notification of the public if safety issues arise with its products."

(YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine joined Steven M. Dettelbach, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, to announce that a Poland, Ohio, man appeared in federal court today after his arrest for violating the Clean Water Act.

Ben Lupo, 62, is accused of directing an employee to illegally discharge brine and oil-based drilling mud into a stormwater drain which flowed into an unnamed tributary of the Mahoning River and ultimately into the Mahoning River near Youngstown.

Agents with the Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) arrested William Noble, 48, yesterday after serving a search warrant at his home on North Pohlman Road in Chillicothe.

As part of Attorney General DeWine's Crimes Against Children Initiative, BCI began investigating Noble after obtaining evidence that he disseminated and/or possessed child pornography in September.