News Releases

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.

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.

(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.

(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.