(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp placed a friendly wager ahead of the College Football Playoff semifinal between The Ohio State University and the University of Georgia at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
This year, Governor DeWine offered some of Ohio’s famous buckeye candies from Marsha’s Homemade Buckeyes in Perrysburg; Stewart’s Root Beer, which was founded in Mansfield, Ohio, in 1924; and some Ohio maple syrup made by Governor DeWine’s son John DeWine at Flying Mouse Farms in Yellow Springs.
In turn, Governor Kemp put forward some Georgia-grown agricultural products, including Georgia-grown peaches, in honor of the Peach Bowl game; Georgia peanuts; and Georgia-made apple cider
The friendly wager was announced on Twitter with videos from both Governors:
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — The law enforcement task forces organized under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC) confiscated more than $64 million in illegal drugs in 2022 alone, taking a bite out of the trafficking business in Ohio and inevitably saving lives.
“Every ounce of fentanyl taken off the street can prevent an overdose, just like every illegal gun seized has the potential to save a life,” said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who chairs the commission. “The work of our task forces is often covert, but the results do not go unnoticed.”
Besides the narcotics, task forces also seized 437 firearms and $7.7 million in currency in 2022.
The 2022 numbers bring the total task force seizures during Yost’s first term to $239.9 million in narcotics, 1,374 firearms and $56 million in currency.
Here is a year-by-year breakdown of the drugs confiscated:
Under OOCIC’s direction, task forces are formed through collaborative efforts and often involve local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Specifically, major drug interdiction task forces operate throughout the state with a focus on seizing illegal narcotics, weapons and cash before they impact Ohio communities.
Several major drug task forces exist and are funded through RecoveryOhio, in concert with the Ohio Department of Public Safety and Ohio Criminal Justice Services.
Here is a sampling of the seizures in 2022:
Central Ohio Major Drug Interdiction Task Force
In March, detectives assigned to the task force seized a parcel containing several criminal indicators. Further investigative work established that the shipper and recipient of the parcel. When the parcel was opened during the execution of a search warrant, detectives discovered four kilograms of cocaine.
In May, task force officers seized a parcel containing 1,000 grams of fentanyl. The investigation ultimately led investigators to a residence on the west side of Columbus where an additional 7,750 grams of fentanyl was seized.
The task force includes the Columbus Division of Police, AG’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Gahanna Police, the Internal Revenue Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the State Highway Patrol, the U.S. Postal Inspector, Ohio HIDTA and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Licking, Guernsey, and Muskingum County Major Drug Interdiction Task Force
In July, task force agents received a tip from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration concerning a suspected package at the parcel facility. Utilizing a K-9, approximately 4 pounds of methamphetamine was recovered. The package originated from southern California with a destination of Zanesville.
The task force, also known as the Central Ohio Drug Enforcement Task Force (CODE) includes the sheriff’s offices in Licking, Muskingum, Guernsey, Knox, Perry and Coshocton counties; the Ohio State Highway Patrol; the U.S. Postal Inspector; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Licking County Prosecutor’s Office
Medina and Summit Counties Major Drug Interdiction Task Force
In April, the task force, which operates as the Ohio Northeast Smuggling Enforcement Team (ONSET), became aware of a drug trafficking suspect staying at a local hotel. The suspect parked a car at a Target retail location and entered the store but never returned to the truck. ONSET continued surveillance on the truck. The task force executed a search warrant on the vehicle and seized $1,054,130 in bulk currency. The vehicle was towed by a local company and impounded. The suspect sought out the vehicle but denied any knowledge of the money and abandoned the cash.
In August, ONSET located two drug trafficking suspects in Summit County who were driving an SUV with Texas license plate. The task force officers determined that the driver was a resident of Michigan and had purchased the vehicle with cash. The suspects were observed traveling to a residence in Akron, where a third suspect showed up and left with a large bag. The third suspect’s vehicle was stopped and 9 pounds of marijuana, two handguns and $9,400 were seized. A search warrant was obtained for the Akron resident. The original two suspects, along with two additional males were arrested. In total, $21,300, 60 pounds of marijuana, 49 suspected fentanyl pills, 12 bottles of promethazine and 3 guns were seized.
The task force includes the sheriff’s offices in Medina and Summit counties, the Copley Township Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Medina County Drug Task Force, the State Highway Patrol, the Summit County Drug Task Force, the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office and the Medina County Prosecutor’s Office.
Lucas and Wood Counties Major Drug Interdiction Task Force
The task force, also known as the NW Ohio Bulk Currency Task Force, assisted the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office with an investigation that included a deceased individual in June. Initial responders discovered evidence of drug trafficking and notified the task force. Officers executed a search warrant and located 40 pounds of marijuana, drug trafficking ledgers and $166,597.
The task force includes the Toledo Police Department, the sheriff’s offices in Lucas and Wood counties, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the Toledo Drug Task Force, the State Highway Patrol, Perrysburg Police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Ohio, the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office and the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office.
Additional seizures and arrests were conducted by the Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force, Belmont County Major Drug Interdiction Task Force and the Hamilton County Drug Interdiction Task Force.
Since 2012, OOCIC’s task forces have seized narcotics with an estimated value of $426,626,894, including 752 pounds of heroin, 1,002 pounds of fentanyl, 12,316 pounds of methamphetamine, 2,328 pounds of cocaine, and 42,262 pounds of marijuana. The task forces have also seized $87,924,006 in US currency and 2,736 firearms.
December 23-24-25, 1969, Delta Company occupied what was known as the “Old French Fort”.
The position had been abandoned by the French in 1954 and sat alongside a dirt road shown on our maps as LTL Route14. The location was nothing more than a 4-foot raised earth berm shaped as a triangle.
It was close to the Saigon River which served as a major infiltration route used by the NVA-VC. We would use this location as a company NDP (night defensive position) for the next several days.
Troops from our unit, Manny Pais, Roger Lynch and Charlie Scott were sent to the Bob Hope Christmas show in Lai Khe. During the day we conducted RIF operations (reconnaissance-in-force) in the area and at night occupied the NDP. No contacts with the enemy took place.
On Christmas Day we had a hot meal flown in by helicopter. The chow was delivered in mermite cans to our position.
For an Infantryman life was pretty good. Unfortunately, in the next few days all of that would change.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today signed Executive Order 2022-17D to label tianeptine, a Schedule 1 controlled substance, classifying it as having no accepted medical use in treatment and to prohibit its use.
MIKE DEWINE
GOVERNOR
STATE OF OHIO
Executive Order 2022-17D
The Emergency Adoption of Rule 4729:9-1-01.3 of the Ohio Administrative Code by the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy
WHEREAS, tianeptine is an atypical tricyclic antidepressant that is not approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is not subject to the same regulatory or medical oversight as other tricyclic antidepressants approved for use in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the FDA issued a consumer update on tianeptine products in February 2022 noting that it has identified cases in which people experienced harmful effects from abusing or misusing tianeptine by itself or with other drugs, including antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines. These effects included agitation, drowsiness, confusion, sweating, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, slowed or stopped breathing, coma, and death; and
WHEREAS, peer reviewed literature and case reports documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrate that tianeptine toxicity mimicked opioid toxicity and withdrawal due to its strong affinity at the mu-opioid receptors and that naloxone was an effective therapy; and
WHEREAS, tianeptine has a high potential for abuse and can lead to emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and fatal overdoses; and
WHEREAS, case reports have documented neonatal abstinence syndrome mimicking opioid neonatal abstinence syndrome occurring after tianeptine dependence during pregnancy; and
WHEREAS, tianeptine is currently prohibited for use in Michigan, Alabama, Minnesota, Tennessee, Georgia, and Indiana; and
WHEREAS, Section 3719.45 of the Ohio Revised Code authorizes the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy (State Board of Pharmacy) to add a previously unscheduled compound, mixture, preparation, or substance to schedule I by emergency rule if the Board determines the compound has no accepted medical use in treatment in this state and poses an imminent hazard to the public health, safety, or welfare; and
WHEREAS, the State Board of Pharmacy found that tianeptine has no accepted medical use in treatment in this state, has a high potential for abuse, and poses an imminent hazard to the public health, safety, or welfare; and
WHEREAS, Section 119.03(G) of the Ohio Revised Code authorizes the Governor, on the request of a State agency, to suspend the normal rule making procedures with respect to specific rules when an emergency exists necessitating the immediate adoption, amendment, or rescission of such rules. When such a determination is made, the agency may immediately adopt, amend, or rescind such rules, but the rules are only valid for one hundred and eighty (180) days; and
WHEREAS, the State Board of Pharmacy has requested a determination whether an emergency exists that requires rule 4729:9-1-01.3 of the Ohio Administrative Code on an emergency basis and that would therefore permit the State Board of Pharmacy, pursuant to Section 3719.45 of the Ohio Revised Code, to immediately adopt this rule.
NOW THEREFORE, I, Mike DeWine, Governor of the State of Ohio, have determined, upon the request of the State Board of Pharmacy, that an emergency exists requiring the immediate adoption of rule 4729:9-1-01.3 of the Ohio Administrative Code.
Further, I hereby order that the procedures prescribed by Section 119.03 of the Ohio Revised Code with respect to the adoption or amendment of the specified rule be suspended and that the State Board of Pharmacy be permitted to adopt the rule immediately by filing it electronically with the Secretary of State, the Director of the Legislative Service Commission, and the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR).
Furthermore, I hereby order that this Executive Order be filed in electronic form with the State Board of Pharmacy, the Secretary of State, the Director of the Legislative Service Commission, and JCARR.
I signed this Executive Order on December 22, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio, and it will expire one hundred and eighty (180) days from the effective date of the emergency rule, or upon the adoption of the rule through the normal JCARR process, whichever is sooner.
Many of us spend the holidays relaxing and sharing in goodwill with friends and family. But some bad actors use the holidays to take advantage of people’s generous spirits. Scammers frequently target the older and other more vulnerable members of our communities. They pretend they are from Social Security or another government agency to steal your money or personal information.
Caller ID, texts, or documents sent by email may look official, but they are not. Fraudsters are calling to verify information about the 2023 cost-of-living adjustment for people who get benefits. Remember, this adjustment is automatic and a beneficiary does not need to verify anything. Social Security won’t ask you to provide information or money to get your benefit increase. Know that how we do business with you doesn’t change because it’s the holidays. We may email or text you about programs and services, but we will never ask for personal information via email or text.
Recognizing the signs of a scam can help you avoid falling victim to one. These scams primarily use the telephone to contact you, but scammers may also use email, text messages, social media, or U.S. mail. Scammers pretend to be from an agency or organization you know to gain your trust. Scammers say there is a problem with your Social Security number or account. Scammers pressure you to act immediately. Scammers tell you to pay in a specific way.
Know what to look for and be alert. Scammers don’t take days off and neither should you… when it comes to making sure you identify suspicious communications and report it. If you receive a questionable call, text, or email, hang up or don’t respond and report it at oig.ssa.gov/report. Scammers frequently change their methods with new tactics and messages to trick people. We encourage you to stay up to date on the latest news and advisories by following SSA’s Office of the Inspector General on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook or subscribing to receive email alerts.
Former Gallia County 911 dispatcher and administrator at the Greenfield Township Volunteer Fire Department charged federally for 24 arson fires in Wayne National Forest said he started the fires “to give the boys something to do,”
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A fire department administrator and former 911 dispatcher has been charged federally with crimes related to at least 24 arson fires since spring 2022 in Wayne National Forest.
James A. Bartels, 50, of Patriot, Ohio, was arrested yesterday and appeared in federal court in Columbus.
Bartels is an administrator at the Greenfield Township Volunteer Fire Department. He also served as a 911 dispatcher for Gallia County.
According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, Ohio Department of Natural Resources law enforcement officers observed a truck registered to Bartels near Wayne National Forest on Oct. 29, 2022. Bartels was observed on Dry Ridge Road. Within an hour, a fire was reported in the forest near Dry Ridge Road and Cauley Creek Road.
In the days after Bartels’s Nov. 8 resignation from working as a 911 dispatcher for Gallia County, at least 17 fires were lit. Bartels was seen at two separate locations in the vicinity of multiple fire starts within minutes of their ignition.
The affidavit details that in a law enforcement interview, Bartels admitted to starting the fires with a lighter to “give the boys something to do” and to distract himself from depression. He identified 24 arson fires for which he was responsible. His truck’s infotainment system data also placed him at the locations of the fires.
Bartels is schedule for a preliminary hearing in U.S. District Court on Jan. 3, 2023, in Columbus.
Willfully committing arson is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and the U.S. Forest Service announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Hunter is representing the United States in this case.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
CINCINNATI – A Miami, Florida, man was sentenced to 72 months in prison for conspiring in a racketeering enterprise to defraud individuals through moving companies located throughout the United States. Identified victims of the fraud lost more than $2.4 million total.
Serghei Verlan, 39, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati today.
The criminal enterprise used a series of moving companies to exploit thousands of people across the country by demanding ransom for the personal possessions those people had entrusted the enterprise to transport.
Verlan was one of 12 defendants indicted in July 2018 and was one of two leaders of the conspiracy. According to court documents, the defendants operated and worked through at least 12 affiliated moving companies to enrich themselves by defrauding customers who hired them to move their household goods.
The enterprise executed their scheme through various moving companies in Florida, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, California, Connecticut, Colorado and Missouri. More than 1,000 customers have been identified as victims.
One of the enterprise’s warehouses was in West Chester, Ohio, and some of the identified victims reside in the Southern District of Ohio.
As part of the conspiracy, the defendants would provide customers with low binding estimates to do their move, promising to beat their competitor’s prices. After the customers agreed to hire the moving companies, employees of the moving companies would load the customers’ goods onto the truck and then the price of the move would be bumped. Co-conspirators would use an inflated cubic footage for the price of moving the customers’ goods.
Verlan was one of the few defendants who knew the “actual” or “real” cubic footage for customers’ goods and instructed workers to charge customers based on the fraudulently inflated price. He told employees to cap the overcharge at 20 percent to keep customer complaints down.
Verlan also paid employees to write fake positive reviews of their various companies to manage their online image. He was also directly responsible for furthering the conspiracy by “reincarnating” affiliated companies into “new” companies controlled by the enterprise through false statements to federal regulators.
Verlan pleaded guilty in August 2022 to participating in the racketeering conspiracy.
The other leader of the conspiracy, Andrey Shuklin, 34, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in May to 78 months in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Andrea M. Knopf, Regional Special Agent-in-Charge, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT); and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Gaffney Painter and Matthew C. Singer are representing the United States in this case.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost applauds the recent passage of legislation that codifies the Tenth Amendment Center in the Ohio Solicitor General’s Office.
“The principle of federalism – the idea that power is shared among multiple levels of government instead of concentrated into a single level – is indelibly etched into the foundation of our nation through the Tenth Amendment,” Yost said. “Thank you to Rep. Jeff LaRe and Rep. Adam Bird for helping us to codify this crucial function in our office.”
House Bill 506 adds the Tenth Amendment Center to Ohio law, tasking it with actively monitoring federal executive orders, as well as statutes and regulations for potential abuse or overreach. If the Tenth Amendment Center identifies an issue, it will report it to the solicitor general – also codified in this bill – who then advises the attorney general about possible state involvement. The state solicitor general currently represents the state and its agencies on appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other state and federal courts.
Before the 134th General Assembly recently ended, HB 506 was approved by the House and amended into Senate Bill 288, a criminal justice omnibus measure. Sen. Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) sponsored the Senate measure.
Rep. LaRe (R-Violet Twp.) said monitoring for federal overreach “has become a laborious job in and of itself.”
“Federalism is a foundational piece of our U.S. Constitution,” he said. “That is why, as a member of state government, I must do what I can to protect the rights that were reserved for us under the Tenth Amendment. I am appreciative of the General Assembly’s support for HB 506, and look forward to it being signed into law in the near future.”
The legislation awaits Gov. Mike DeWine’s signature.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost praises the recently ended 134th General Assembly for its near-unanimous approval of legislation that increases the penalty for disrupting a lawful meeting.
House Bill 504, called the Sacred Spaces Act, came after protesters loudly rushed the pulpit during a pro-life Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral. In addition to the fear and alarm caused to parishioners at this service, the Mass was disrupted and was not able to resume until all protesters were removed from the premises by law enforcement.
“The right to assemble and freely worship is protected by both our state and federal constitutions,” Yost said. “The Sacred Spaces Act now provides an enhanced penalty when that right is violated. My particular thanks go to former Rep. Rick Carfagna and Rep. Mark Johnson for their hard work on this important legislation.”
The Sacred Spaces Act also applies to the disruption of virtual services, sometimes known as “Zoom bombings.” During the development of this bill, the Attorney General’s Office became aware of several incidents in Ohio where virtual Jewish services were disrupted by anti-Semitic shouts and imagery.
Former Rep. Carfagna (R-Genoa Township) remarked how places of worship, regardless of the religion or forum, should always remain sanctuaries free from harassment.
“I’m grateful that the legislature acted on this important bill as a final matter of legislative business, and appreciate the tenacious efforts of Attorney General Dave Yost and State Rep. Mark Johnson to get this across the finish line,” Carfagna said.
Rep. Johnson (R-Chillicothe) called HB 504 “a strong step” toward protecting a basic right for Ohioans.
“In the past few years, we’ve realized just how vulnerable our right to practice religion undisturbed is,” he said. “The state must take steps to ensure the First Amendment right to freedom of religion is never infringed upon.”
Yost said he expects Gov. Mike DeWine to sign the legislation into law “very soon.”
The Department of Justice, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), today announced a settlement that, if approved by a federal court, will require Epic Games Inc. (Epic Games) to pay $275 million in civil penalties as part of a settlement to resolve alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule), and the Federal Trade Commission Act. Epic Games will also be subject to a permanent injunction regarding children’s personal information that it previously collected. Epic Games is the developer of the online video game “Fortnite.”
In a complaint filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the government alleged that Epic Games designed and marketed Fortnite for use by children. The government further alleged that Epic Games possessed actual knowledge that it collected personal information from children, including their names, email addresses, and identifiers used to keep track of players’ progress, purchases, settings, and friends lists. Epic Games nonetheless failed to notify parents that it was collecting children’s personal information and to obtain verifiable parental consent for that collection, as required by the COPPA Rule.
The government further alleged that Epic Games maintained default privacy settings that were unfair under Section 5 of the FTC Act, in that the default privacy settings publicly broadcast child and teen Fortnite players’ display names and put children and teens in direct, real-time communication with adult Fortnite players.
“The Justice Department takes very seriously its mission to protect consumers’ data privacy rights,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “This proposed order sends a message to all online providers that collecting children’s personal information without parental consent will not be tolerated.”
“Parents have a right to know and to consent before companies collect their children’s personal information,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to enforcing the protections against unauthorized collection of information from consumers, particularly children.”
“As our complaint notes, Epic used privacy-invasive default settings that harmed young Fortnite players,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “Protecting the public, and especially children and teens, from online privacy invasions is a top priority for the Commission, and this enforcement action makes clear to businesses that the FTC is cracking down on these unlawful practices.”
“This historic civil penalty, totaling over a quarter-billion dollars, lays down a marker for online service providers everywhere,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “The unauthorized collection of personal information from children online violates the law. The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission have a strong partnership and are committed to deterring violations.”
In a proposed stipulated order filed today, Epic Games has agreed to pay $275 million in civil penalties, the largest civil penalty ever imposed for a COPPA violation. If approved by the court, the order will prohibit Epic Games from collecting personal information from children in a manner that violates the COPPA Rule. It will also prohibit Epic Games from using children’s personal information that was previously collected unless it obtains verifiable parental consent, and imposes compliance reporting obligations upon Epic Games. Further, the agreement requires Epic Games to maintain default privacy settings that protect children’s and teens’ privacy, to delete certain personal information of children that it previously collected, and to maintain a comprehensive privacy program that protects certain personal information.
This matter was handled by Trial Attorneys Michael Wadden and Josh Fowkes and Assistant Director Lisa Hsiao of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch. Andrew Hasty, James Trilling, and Amanda Koulousias represented the FTC.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the FTC, visit its website at https://www.FTC.gov.
