News Releases

(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."

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.

(CINCINNATI) – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today filed a complaint against the charitable organization Free Truth Enterprise, of Cincinnati, and several of its representatives, including founder and chief operating officer Regina Shields. The complaint charges violations of Ohio charitable law, including a breach of fiduciary duties and unjust enrichment.

In addition to the complaint, Attorney General DeWine also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order, which was signed today by Judge Beth A. Myers, of Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, and a preliminary injunction against the organization.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – As a comedy movie about a victim in pursuit of an identity thief debuts this weekend, Attorney General Mike DeWine reminded Ohioans that he takes the problem seriously, having created last year the Identity Theft Unit, within his Office's Consumer Protection Section, that helps identity-theft victims. It offers victims two programs: Traditional Assistance and Self-Help Assistance.

"Identity theft is a serious problem," said Attorney General DeWine. "We can help victims repair their credit and get their lives back on track."

DeWine Cautions that Animation is Investigative Visual Tool, not Exact Reconstruction

In Ashtabula, agents with the Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) assisted officers with the TAG Law Enforcement Task Force, Ashtabula County Sheriff's Office, and Ashtabula Police Department in serving a warrant at Blue Dragon Leather, a business inside the Ashtabula Towne Square Mall.  In Seneca County, BCI agents assisted the county's METRICH Drug Task Force and Ohio Department of Taxation in serving an unrelated search warrant at Zig Stag in Tiffin.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced an agreement with the board of the Union Club Inc. and the Union Club of Springfield that replaces the board, and temporarily suspends bingo activity, among other stipulations, as a result of violations of Ohio law.

"This appears to be a case where the board's failures were not intentional. However, we expect state law to be followed," said Attorney General DeWine.

In an unprecedented effort to be transparent and provide information to the public, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today released reports and investigative documents on the November 29, 2012, high-speed chase and subsequent officer-involved shooting of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. The Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) was requested to assist with the scene in the early morning of November 30, 2012, and on December 3, 2012, was asked by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff and East Cleveland Chief of Police to be the lead agency in the investigation of this incident.  

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today joined Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker and several other Richland County officials at the demolition of an abandoned house made possible by a grant from his Demolition Grant Program. The property at 102 Raymond  Avenue in Mansfield is one of many properties in Ohio that have been demolished through efforts by local communities and the Attorney General's Demolition Grant Program. 

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that state and local law enforcement served five search warrants in three counties this morning as part of an intensified effort to stop the sale of synthetic drugs.