(CINCINNATI, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco today unveiled a digital forensic facial reconstruction of an unidentified woman found deceased in Cincinnati on May 31, 2018.
“Somebody loved this woman and knows who she is,” Yost said. “She deserves to pass from this earth with her name. Help us write the last chapter in her life.”
“If she looks familiar or if you have any information, please don’t be afraid to come forward,” Dr. Sammarco said. “We don’t suspect this was a homicide; we just want to be able to identify her.”
The photo-realistic digital images were generated in hopes of increasing the chances that someone will come forward to assist in identification. Digital reconstruction allows unknown features to be approximated, including eye color, skin tone, and the color and style of hair.
Additionally, for cases where the precise age is not known, the digital reconstruction can be aged.
The digital images were created through a partnership with Yost’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and The Ohio State University.
A forensic artist with BCI previously created a clay facial reconstruction of the woman at the request of the coroner’s office. The clay reconstruction was released to the public on July 1, 2019.
Jane Doe’s remains were discovered beside a playground near an apartment complex at 421 Glenwood Ave. She is believed to be between 35 and 60 years old, between 5 feet, 3 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with brown and gray hair. She was wearing a gray tank top and gray pajama pants and did not have any tattoos or prominent scars. “Schrader” was written in black marker on the tag of the pants.
Anyone with information on this case should contact BCI at (740) 845-2406 or the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office at (513) 946-8739.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is suing a Florida man who employed harassing and abusive tactics to try to collect debts from Ohio consumers.
“After strong-arming his way to collecting on notes, he himself better be ready to face the music,” Yost said. “Harassment is no way to do business, and it makes this bad actor morally bankrupt.”
The lawsuit, filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, targets Orlando-based Myriad Capital Management and its owner, Chris Rivera, who collected debts from Ohio consumers using various names, including Franklin Moss & Associates, Koplan Welsh & Associates, and Blackwell Mathis Group.
The complaint alleges that Rivera frequently changed business names and purposefully used names that sound like law firms in an effort to convince consumers that a lawsuit would be filed if they did not pay the debts.
Yost’s office received 13 complaints from Ohio consumers who detailed harassment and abuse from Rivera’s businesses, including incessant phone calls and intimidating and threatening language.
Some reported that Rivera had threatened them with a lawsuit or jail time, or claimed that their bank accounts would be frozen – all in an attempt to coerce payments from unsuspecting victims, including many who didn’t think they were responsible for the debts in question or who believed they had already paid the debts.
Specifically, Yost’s lawsuit alleges that Rivera violated the Consumer Sales Practices by:
Using abusive or harassing conduct to collect debts.
Making false, misleading or deceptive representations in connection with his debt collection.
Misrepresenting an affiliation with lawyers or a law firm.
Contacting consumers repeatedly by phone to collect the alleged debts after being advised by consumers that they didn’t owe the debts.
Threatening legal actions against consumers, such as arrest or wage garnishment, that he had no legal authority to follow up on or intention of doing.
Representing or implying that nonpayment of debts would result in the filing of civil actions when such actions weren’t lawful.
Changing business names often to prevent consumers from obtaining reliable information about his business practices.
Failing to honor consumers’ written requests to verify the debts that he was attempting to collect.
Yost’s lawsuit seeks to recover consumer damages, civil penalties of $25,000 for each violation of the Consumer Sales Protection Act, and a permanent injunction to prevent Rivera and Myriad Capital from violating the statute, regardless of the business name used.
Consumers who think have been affected by Rivera’s business practices are encouraged to contact Yost’s office by filing a complaint or calling 800-282-0515.
In accordance with the order issued by the President of the United States of America and in remembrance of the victims of the shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Governor DeWine has ordered that the flags of the United States and the State of Ohio shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout the State of Ohio until sunset on October 30, 2023.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — A 33-year-old Columbus woman who allegedly met men for sex and drugged them so she could rob them has been indicted in four murders, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced today.
Rebecca Auborn faces four counts of murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, five counts of aggravated robbery, five counts of felonious assault, five counts of corrupting another with drugs, one count of tampering with evidence and four counts of trafficking in drugs – all felonies.
“Don’t buy sex in Ohio – it ruins lives and could cost you yours,” AG Yost said.
The indictment, handed down today by a Franklin County grand jury, stems from a joint investigation by homicide detectives from the Columbus Division of Police and special agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
“These indictments are a result of our close collaboration with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation,” Chief Bryant said. “The Columbus Division of Police remains dedicated to ensuring justice for all victims and their families affected by the actions of a single individual.”
The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, formed under Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, received information that a woman was allegedly meeting men for sex in northeast Columbus, then dosing the “johns” with drugs in order to steal their possessions.
During their investigation, detectives from the Columbus Division of Police, which leads the task force, and BCI special agents, who also serve on the task force, connected Auborn to several overdoses and robberies. These include:
Victim 1, attempted overdose on 12/13/2022
Victim 2, fatal overdose on 1/15/2023
Victim 3, fatal overdose on 4/1/2023
Victim 4, fatal overdose on 4/13/2023
Victim 5, fatal overdose on 6/17/2023
As part of the same investigation, Auborn had previously been charged on Sept. 11 with aggravated robbery, felonious assault, murder, corruption of another with drugs, trafficking in drugs and the illegal manufacture of drugs. She has been in the Franklin County jail since the latter charges were filed.
Investigators, who believe that additional victims may exist, are continuing their investigation with a concentration on Auborn’s activities between December 2022 and August 2023 and within the area of I-71, State Route 161, Cleveland Avenue and E. 17th Avenue.
Anyone with information related to overdose deaths that occurred during those time periods and near those locations should contact the Columbus Division of Police homicide tip line at 614-645-2228.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and 32 of his colleagues filed a federal lawsuit today against Meta alleging that the social-media technology giant designed and deployed harmful features for Facebook and Instagram to addict young users to its platforms and enhance its bottom line.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claims that Meta, instead of working to mitigate the damage inflicted by its social-media platforms, publicly concealed the severity of the psychological harm they cause, including addiction to the platforms, which could, and in some cases did, result in physical harm.
In related complaints filed today in state courts, eight other attorneys general made similar allegations. Florida is filing its own federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The federal and state lawsuits stem from a bipartisan investigation of Meta.
“Given that children, when they’re on these platforms, become vulnerable to cyberbullying and online predators, Meta has added insult to injury, further injuring our children,” Yost said. “I trust that the parents within Meta itself might reconsider these practices, but, until then, initiating lawsuits should compel the company to change its ways.”
The federal lawsuit asserts that Meta violated state consumer protection laws by assuring the public that the platforms are safe and suitable for young users. Yet the company’s practices harmed and continue to harm the mental and physical health of teenagers and pre-teens, the suit maintains, fueling what the U.S. Surgeon General has called a “youth mental health crisis,” which has prompted suicides, devastated families and damaged a generation of young people.
The complaint further alleges that Meta violated federal law – specifically, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act – when the company, aware that users younger than 13 were actively on its platforms, collected data from those users without parental consent. Meta targeted these youngest users after identifying them as a “valuable, but untapped” base, as reported in a 2021 Wall Street Journal article.
Although much of the lawsuit relies on confidential material not yet available to the public, some publicly available sources – including disclosures from former Meta employees – detail how the company deliberately sought to gain financially by addicting teens and tweens to its platforms.
Meta’s platform algorithms, the lawsuit says, push users into descending “rabbit holes,” with the objective of keeping users on the platform for long periods. Meta also allegedly used features such as infinite scroll and near-constant alerts in a concerted effort to hold young users’ attention. Such manipulative tactics entice teens and tweens to continually return to the platforms. Instead of disclosing the harm and making meaningful changes to minimize it, Meta publicly advertised their platforms as safe for young users.
The attorneys general also allege that the platforms served harmful content – including material associated with eating disorders, violence, negative self-perception and body-image issues, and bullying – to young users.
The lawsuit seeks injunctive and monetary relief caused by Meta’s platforms.
Joining Yost in the federal filing are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Filing lawsuits in their respective state courts are the attorneys general of the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — A former Columbus Zoo and Aquarium executive pleaded guilty this afternoon for his role in a scheme to defraud the zoo and the public of more than $2.29 million, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced.
Greg Bell, the zoo’s former chief financial officer, pleaded guilty in Delaware County Common Pleas Court to all 14 felony charges he faced, including aggravated theft, conspiracy and tampering with records.
Bell was indicted in September along with two other former zoo executives, Chief Executive Officer Tom Stalf and Marketing Director Pete Fingerhut.
Bell’s sentencing will be scheduled at the conclusion of the ongoing case against his co-defendants.
The Attorney General’s Office was appointed as special prosecutor in the case.
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Previous Release on 9/18/2023
Former Columbus Zoo Executives Indicted for Theft of More Than $2 Million
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Three former executives of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium were indicted today for their roles in a scheme to defraud the zoo of more than $2.29 million and use the money for personal benefits, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today.
“I’m confident that when the allegations are heard in the court of law, the jury will agree that these former executives of the Columbus Zoo extorted, conspired, bribed and stole over $2 million in public funds for their own benefits,” Yost said. “In simple terms, the bank hired the robbers to work security.”
Former Chief Executive Officer Tom Stalf and former Marketing Director Pete Fingerhut are accused of operating a criminal enterprise to hijack the zoo’s purse strings and colluding to conceal their thievery. Also indicted was former Chief Financial Officer Greg Bell, who is alleged to have become ensnared in the wrongdoing.
The indictment alleges that the former executives manipulated credit-card and check authorization forms for more than a decade, using the nonprofit’s public funds for personal use. The Columbus Zoo receives about $19 million in taxes annually from Franklin County residents.
The stolen money was spent on lavish non-zoo related items, including suites and tickets to concerts and sporting events; golf memberships; trips to multiple states and foreign countries; meals, beverages and alcohol; and motor vehicles.
An investigation conducted by the attorney general’s Charitable Law and Antitrust sections, along with the Ohio Auditor’s Office, found that the criminal enterprise not only improperly expensed goods but also bartered, bribed and extorted zoo vendors for goods and services.
In one instance, zoo tickets were exchanged for tickets to Game 6 of the 2016 World Series. On another occasion, Fingerhut is accused of threatening harm to a vendor’s business opportunities with the zoo unless he was paid large sums of cash.
Stalf, Fingerhut and Bell allegedly attempted to conceal their criminal activities by knowingly signing financial authorization forms. In subsequent years, Stalf and Fingerhut filed their state and federal taxes without acknowledging the financial benefits obtained from the criminal enterprise.
The indictment was filed today in Delaware County Common Pleas Court, as the zoo is located in Delaware County and much of the criminal conduct found by the grand jury took place at the zoo business office.
As the investigation unfolded, Delaware County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Schiffel appointed the Attorney General’s Office as special prosecutor in the matter, with Senior Assistant Attorney General Dan Kasaris becoming the lead prosecutor. Marissa Gibson and Matt Klapheke, investigators with the Ohio Auditor’s Office, assisted in the case.
“The Columbus Zoo is a jewel and I hope that this investigation will ensure that the zoo will exist for many years to come,” Prosecutor Schiffel said. “Thank you to the Delaware County grand jurors who listened to countless hours of testimony and evidence and returned the indictment that was filed today.”
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Previous Release on 4/1/2021
Attorney General Yost Opens Investigation into Columbus Zoo Amid Allegations
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today that an investigation has been opened following recent allegations involving two executives at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
“Charity may begin at home for an individual, but it’s trouble when an executive for a charitable organization uses company resources for friends and family,” Yost said. “I’m troubled by both the allegations and the lack of transparency here, and this office will get to the bottom of it.”
The Columbus Zoo is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that also receives levy funds from Franklin County taxpayers. On Monday, the zoo’s president/CEO and chief financial officer resigned after an internal investigation related to the personal use of zoo assets. Both allegedly received improper benefits, according to reporting by The Columbus Dispatch.
The Ohio Attorney General is charged with protecting and regulating the charitable sector, including investigating abuses of alleged charitable trust. This mission is carried out by the office’s Charitable Law Section, which ensures trust in the nonprofit sector through transparency and accountability. The section ensures that charities responsibly use assets entrusted to them and takes enforcement action when charities exploit Ohioans’ generosity.
Investigations conducted by the Charitable Law Section are confidential. Ohio Revised Code 109.28 excludes investigations of charitable trusts from public records.
CLEVELAND – Thomas Brenner, 60, of Orrville, Ohio, was sentenced to 125 months imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent after earlier pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, securities fraud, and engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from criminal activity. Judge Nugent ordered Brenner to pay $3,487,938.89 in restitution and serve 3 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Brenner was a financial broker-dealer and President of First American Securities, Inc., located in Orrville. In March of 2015, Brenner conspired to recruit clients to “invest” in United RL Capital Services, LLC (“URL”), a company that purportedly financed medical laboratory developments.
Investors were solicited by Brenner over the phone, through letters, and in person while he misrepresented material information. Brenner indicated that investors’ money would finance medical laboratory developments; they would receive their money back, with interest, after three years; and that URL was as safe or safer than other existing investments.
Some investors, at Brenner’s encouragement, removed money from their IRAs to invest in URL, and represented this would not result in tax penalties. Instead of apportioning investors’ money, as promised, Brenner used the funds for his benefit, including to make large race car-related purchases, and to pay back tax debts. When investors inquired about their investments, Brenner misrepresented that they were secure and provided some investors with sporadic, minimal payments, disguised as installments of earned interest, all to lull investors into believing their money was safe and being used as promised.
Brenner learned he was being investigated for selling URL securities by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), a congressionally authorized entity that licenses and regulates broker-dealers. Brenner continued to sell URL securities after representing to FINRA under oath that he would stop. He did not tell prospective investors about the investigation, that First American Securities, Inc. could face closure, and that the defendant could be suspended from associating with any FINRA-registered firm, which he eventually was.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kathryn Andrachik and Erica Barnhill.
Defendant Struck and Pulled Down Officer’s Gas Mask
WASHINGTON – An Ohio man pleaded guilty on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, to a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Clifford Mackrell, 22, of Wellington, Ohio, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers. In his plea agreement, Mackrell admitted that he forcibly assaulted a U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officer. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 5, 2023.
According to court documents, Mackrell traveled from his home in Ohio to Washington, D.C., to participate in the January 6 political rally at the Ellipse. At the rally, Mackrell wore a red shirt covered by a heavy blue-toned, striped jacket and heavy tan-colored gloves. He also carried a black backpack and donned a gas mask. Following the speeches, he marched to the Capitol.
Around 2:30 p.m., Mackrell positioned himself on the front line of rioters on the west front of the U.S. Capitol building. While on the front line of rioters, he engaged with and assaulted law enforcement officers from both the USCP and the Metropolitan Police Department who were on a line attempting to hold back the mob.
At 2:30 p.m., Mackrell pushed back barricades with other rioters, forcing law enforcement to abandon their line and retreat closer to the Capitol building to form a new protective line without the use of barricades.
While there, between 2:28 p.m. and 2:35 p.m., Mackrell engaged in multiple assaults and unlawful conduct, which included striking and pushing officers who were engaged in and assisting officers of the United States in the performance of official duties. Specifically, Mackrell attempted to push an MPD officer, then successfully struck and pulled down the officer’s gas mask as the officer tried to help hold a line against rioters. In his plea agreement, Mackrell admitted that when he struck the officer and pulled down the officer’s gas mask, he knew the officer was engaged in the performance of official duties.
In another instance, Mackrell helped push a piece of what appeared to be plywood into a line of officers, pushing them off the protective line. When the plywood fell, another rioter pushed an officer to the ground. Mackrell then physically confronted other law enforcement officers on the front line by pushing them.
The FBI arrested Mackrell in Wellington on Mar. 17, 2021.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Cleveland Field Office, and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.
In the 33 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,100 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 400 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Cold-case investigators are taking a fresh look at a string of sexual attacks on school-age girls in the early 2000s, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is seeking the public’s help to bring the assailant to justice.
“This predator struck multiple counties in at least two states – behavior that suggests more victims might still be out there,” Yost said. “We urge them and anyone else with knowledge of similar attacks to contact our investigators. Your tips could solve this vicious crime spree.”
The Cold Case Unit at Yost’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) is concentrating on seven sexual assaults from 2001 to 2003 in Ashtabula, Lake and Summit counties. The case similarities make investigators believe that the same man is responsible for the attacks.
The suspect in each assault was a white male, roughly 30 years old, who posed as a salesman or repairman and targeted girls who had just taken a school bus home. After knocking on a victim’s door, the man usually asked for directions or for information about the home’s occupants, likely to determine whether the victim was alone. He then asked to make a phone call and forced his way inside.
The man wore sunglasses and a baseball hat, and sometimes carried a clipboard. He possibly drove a black or silver midsize sedan. Victims ranged in age from 11 to 18.
Investigators believe the cases are linked to similar assaults in Pennsylvania from the same period. Pennsylvania State Police recently identified a suspect in one of those cases, Daniel Danzinger, a 61-year-old Florida resident who lived in Ohio at the time of the crimes.
Authorities zeroed in on Danzinger by applying forensic genealogy technology to DNA from the crime scene. A DNA sample obtained with a search warrant matched the crime scene evidence.
Danzinger was arrested on Oct. 2 and is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.
BCI asks anyone with information about Danzinger or cases like those in Ohio and Pennsylvania to call 855-BCI-OHIO.
BCI’s Cold Case Unit offers forensic analysis and investigative resources to law enforcement agencies for unsolved homicides and sexual assaults.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and 49 other attorneys general have negotiated a $10 million settlement with payment processor ACI Worldwide stemming from a testing error in 2021 that led to the attempted unauthorized withdrawal of $2.3 billion from the accounts of 477,000 mortgage-holders.
Ohio will receive $342,803 from the settlement.
“The ACI error jeopardized Ohioans’ financial stability and caused undue stress,” Yost said. “This settlement ensures that this company is held responsible for committing an error of this magnitude and that safeguards are put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
The attorneys general investigated and negotiated this case in partnership with the states’ financial regulators, who have reached a separate $10 million settlement with ACI.
ACI Payments, a subsidiary of ACI Worldwide Corp., serves as a payment processor for various third-party clients, including mortgage servicers. Nationstar Mortgage, known publicly as Mr. Cooper, offered ACI’s Speedpay product to its customers so they could electronically schedule and pay a monthly mortgage through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system.
On April 23, 2021, ACI was conducting a test on the Speedpay platform when it inadvertently submitted live Mr. Cooper consumer data into the ACH system, which prompted ACI to mistakenly attempt to withdraw mortgage payments from hundreds of thousands of Mr. Cooper customers on a day that was neither authorized nor expected.
In many instances, consumers experienced the attempted withdrawal of multiple mortgage payments from their personal bank accounts. Although most of the withdrawals were unsuccessful or later reversed, 1.4 million transactions totaling $2.3 billion were processed, affecting an estimated 477,000 Mr. Cooper customers, including over 13,000 in Ohio.
Some consumers couldn’t access the funds in question, leading to fees for overdrafts or insufficient funds. The affected consumers have received restitution from ACI as part of other related settlements.
The investigation of ACI blamed the 2021 incident on significant deficiencies in the company’s privacy and data-security procedures and the technical infrastructure of the Speedpay platform.
Also, as part of the settlement agreement, ACI is required to take steps to avoid any similar incidents, including using artificially generated data for testing purposes instead of real consumer data. The company must also segregate its testing or development work from its consumer payment systems.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is suing a Florida man who employed harassing and abusive tactics to try to collect debts from Ohio consumers.
In accordance with the order issued by the President of the United States of America and in remembrance of the victims of the shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Governor DeWine has ordered that the flags of the United States and the State of Ohio shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout the State of Ohio until sunset on October 30, 2023.
Joe Lyons •
November 2, 2023
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — A former Columbus Zoo and Aquarium executive pleaded guilty this afternoon for his role in a scheme to defraud the zoo and the public of more than $2.29 million, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced.
CLEVELAND – Thomas Brenner, 60, of Orrville, Ohio, was sentenced to 125 months imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent after earlier pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, securities fraud, and engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from criminal activity. Judge Nugent ordered Brenner to pay $3,487,938.89 in restitution and serve 3 years of supervised release.
Defendant Struck and Pulled Down Officer’s Gas Mask
Cold-case investigators are taking a fresh look at a string of sexual attacks on school-age girls in the early 2000s, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is seeking the public’s help to bring the assailant to justice.