Full Transcript for Kickback Scheme Lands Former Commissioner in Prison

00:04:57.819 you have been covering this extensively for a long time, 68 00:04:57.899 --> 00:05:03.220 and yesterday it came down that former Commissioner Brian Davis 69 00:05:04.149 --> 00:05:05.970 is going to go to prison for two and a 70 00:05:05.970 --> 00:05:09.019 half years. Now, he had asked for no prison time 71 00:05:09.060 --> 00:05:10.439 and community service, right? 72 00:05:11.740 --> 00:05:16.360 That's accurate, yes. And his statement to the court, I 73 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:20.180 believe it came out last Thursday, that's what he was 74 00:05:20.259 --> 00:05:22.610 asking for, was leniency in the case. 75 00:05:23.110 --> 00:05:23.709 He had. 76 00:05:25.050 --> 00:05:28.990 Over 70 people submitted letters of support for mercy and 77 00:05:29.029 --> 00:05:33.610 leniency for former Commissioner Davis, including a number of his 78 00:05:33.670 --> 00:05:37.120 fellow ministers and pastors, uh, here in Sire, the County. 79 00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:41.680 Yeah. So, uh, he, he's getting 30 months and has 80 00:05:41.720 --> 00:05:48.000 to pay $ 68, 000 or thereabouts in restitution. Uh, well, what's 81 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:52.470 been the sentiment, uh, around the area about this and, and, 82 00:05:52.810 --> 00:05:55.430 you know, having some closure, at least in the Davis case. 83 00:05:56.529 --> 00:05:59.149 Well, Tom, I think that a lot of it, uh, 84 00:05:59.230 --> 00:06:00.730 there was a lot of anger. 85 00:06:00.529 --> 00:06:01.389 About this case. 86 00:06:01.670 --> 00:06:05.860 Now there's, uh, a sense of remedy in our community 87 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:10.490 right now with this sentencing being handed down. Some people 88 00:06:10.529 --> 00:06:13.230 feel it wasn't a strong enough sentence, but when you 89 00:06:13.269 --> 00:06:15.870 look at the length of the sentence, he could have 90 00:06:15.910 --> 00:06:19.009 gotten five and a half years. That was the max. 91 00:06:19.889 --> 00:06:22.829 So what the state did, I think was very smart. 92 00:06:23.459 --> 00:06:29.100 They avoided an appeal process. And when commissioner Davis entered 93 00:06:29.139 --> 00:06:33.310 his guilty plea earlier this year, I think that was 94 00:06:33.370 --> 00:06:36.430 part of it. Look, we're going to waive our right 95 00:06:36.470 --> 00:06:40.889 to appeal. So there's no appeal in this process, and 96 00:06:40.939 --> 00:06:46.540 there is no early judicial release included in this case. Now, 97 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:50.240 that means that a court can't come back and issue 98 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:52.879 early release because he's been a good guy or a 99 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:57.970 stellar inmate, but the prison to where he's sent... They 100 00:06:58.009 --> 00:07:01.629 can recommend or grant him an early release if he's 101 00:07:01.649 --> 00:07:05.310 a model inmate or if there's overcrowding or there's other 102 00:07:05.350 --> 00:07:08.329 kind of variables in this. But I've covered and I've 103 00:07:08.350 --> 00:07:11.209 done my own investigation on this case, Tom, for over 104 00:07:11.250 --> 00:07:15.509 two years. I lucked into it. I just happened to 105 00:07:15.550 --> 00:07:20.100 see a document from a local business that was using 106 00:07:20.189 --> 00:07:24.639 Osteel out of South Carolina to build a building for them. 107 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:28.959 And I noticed on the document it said– official representative 108 00:07:29.019 --> 00:07:32.300 Robert Horton, who was the Southern Ohio Port Authority president. 109 00:07:33.259 --> 00:07:35.360 And the key thing is a port authority doesn't have 110 00:07:35.379 --> 00:07:39.240 to accept competitive bids. They can award a bid to 111 00:07:39.899 --> 00:07:44.079 anybody they want to. And that's exactly what Robert Horton 112 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:48.290 did with the allowance of Scioto County Commissioner Brian Davis 113 00:07:48.389 --> 00:07:54.730 and current Commissioner Scotty Powell gave a blistering victim impact 114 00:07:55.050 --> 00:07:58.759 statement yesterday in which He detailed the fact that there 115 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:03.149 was even another scheme for a $ 10 million addition onto 116 00:08:03.189 --> 00:08:10.189 this current building for which Davis was convicted that never materialized. And, 117 00:08:10.209 --> 00:08:14.860 I mean, Brian Davis was trying to grift every dime that. 118 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:15.399 He could possibly. 119 00:08:15.819 --> 00:08:17.839 Out of the taxpayers of the state of Ohio and 120 00:08:17.860 --> 00:08:22.120 Scioto County in this matter. Now, Robert Horton, Tom, is 121 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:26.120 probably going to end up getting community control. He's a 122 00:08:26.139 --> 00:08:32.330 75-year-old man with a heart ailment, and he rolled over first. 123 00:08:32.370 --> 00:08:37.250 He signed a proper agreement with his indictments. So he 124 00:08:37.289 --> 00:08:41.690 rolled over first, and that's what's going to happen, I believe. Now, 125 00:08:41.710 --> 00:08:47.320 I've a judge can overrule the state's recommendation for community control. 126 00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:51.740 It usually doesn't happen, but I think that's how it's 127 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:53.759 going to end up. But, yeah, Brian Davis also has 128 00:08:53.779 --> 00:08:57.820 to pay back the months of salary that he collected 129 00:08:57.879 --> 00:09:03.299 while under suspension, and that's a hefty amount. He lost 130 00:09:03.340 --> 00:09:06.690 his retirement account while a Saudi County commissioner, and he's 131 00:09:06.710 --> 00:09:10.330 paying court costs as well. Now, his wife got 24 132 00:09:10.330 --> 00:09:12.029 months of community control. 133 00:09:12.730 --> 00:09:17.580 Now, when you say community control, is that just community service? 134 00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:18.679 What is that exactly? 135 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:22.539 It's a form of probation. They have to report to 136 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:26.980 a

probation officer, Tom. They have to submit to random 137 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:32.730 drug testing. They also have to seek and attend counseling sessions, 138 00:09:33.529 --> 00:09:37.230 and their whereabouts are monitored. They have to report to 139 00:09:37.269 --> 00:09:39.470 a probation officer if they're going to leave the area. 140 00:09:40.669 --> 00:09:45.009 It's It's sort of a lighter form of probation is 141 00:09:45.259 --> 00:09:45.769 what it is. 142 00:09:46.450 --> 00:09:50.309 I see. So that's what– go ahead. 143 00:09:50.330 --> 00:09:52.210 Yeah, she was sentenced to that because she had a 144 00:09:52.250 --> 00:09:56.529 minor role. And I don't mind saying this. It's my opinion. Again, 145 00:09:56.809 --> 00:10:00.149 I've covered this for a number of years now. I 146 00:10:00.210 --> 00:10:03.970 do believe that she rolled over on her husband because 147 00:10:04.610 --> 00:10:10.610 once everything started just happening very quickly here back in mid-August. 148 00:10:11.610 --> 00:10:14.220 And it was just one thing right after another. And 149 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:16.759 I think they knew that Brian Davis was going to 150 00:10:16.779 --> 00:10:20.450 get jail time no matter what. And She had an 151 00:10:20.500 --> 00:10:23.990 excellent attorney, by the way, and I think he just 152 00:10:24.009 --> 00:10:25.870 looked at her and said, look, you can add a 153 00:10:25.909 --> 00:10:28.710 couple months on your husband's sentence, and you can avoid 154 00:10:28.750 --> 00:10:32.210 jail time if you let them know what they need 155 00:10:32.230 --> 00:10:36.309 to know or verify what they already know. So yeah, 156 00:10:36.350 --> 00:10:39.190 I mean it was– and I did the research. I 157 00:10:39.210 --> 00:10:42.250 cannot find any instance in Scioto County history where a 158 00:10:42.309 --> 00:10:46.370 sitting commissioner was indicted and then later found guilty to 159 00:10:46.409 --> 00:10:50.169 a plea or a court case. of felony counts. I mean, 160 00:10:50.190 --> 00:10:52.950 this is an historic moment in our county. 161 00:10:54.149 --> 00:10:56.889 Yeah, without a doubt. So two and a half year 162 00:10:56.950 --> 00:11:01.009 prison sentence for Brian Davis, his wife, Lori, who pleaded 163 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:04.059 guilty to a single felony count of tampering with evidence, 164 00:11:04.700 --> 00:11:09.320 sentenced to 24 months of community control. And so when 165 00:11:09.340 --> 00:11:13.200 will we find out about the former Scioto County Economic 166 00:11:13.220 --> 00:11:16.909 Development Director, Robert Horton, that you think that he'll probably 167 00:11:17.009 --> 00:11:19.730 also get community control, but when will we find out 168 00:11:19.769 --> 00:11:20.649 about that for sure? 169 00:11:21.929 --> 00:11:25.090 Well, Tom, it's interesting to note that during this whole process, 170 00:11:25.500 --> 00:11:29.720 Robert Horton was indicted on Valentine's day, uh, six, seven 171 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:33.799 months before Brian Davis was ever indicted. Yet today, Robert 172 00:11:33.860 --> 00:11:37.600 Horton has never had a pretrial conference. He's had a 173 00:11:37.659 --> 00:11:41.110 number of status conferences, which are, you know, a more 174 00:11:41.149 --> 00:11:46.190 relaxed version of a pretrial conference. Um, that's what told 175 00:11:46.230 --> 00:11:48.929 me at the beginning that, you know, he had rolled 176 00:11:49.009 --> 00:11:54.320 over on everybody. Uh, I think that now, interestingly enough, 177 00:11:54.820 --> 00:11:59.759 he had a status conference yesterday, one half hour after 178 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:03.950 Brian Davis was sentenced in the exact same courtroom with 179 00:12:03.990 --> 00:12:08.129 the exact chain judge. It was behind closed doors. So I, 180 00:12:08.190 --> 00:12:10.929 I do believe that that is going to come out soon. Uh, 181 00:12:11.929 --> 00:12:15.039 auditor Keith Faber. I spoke with him yesterday at length, uh, 182 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:19.149 following the sentencing, and he was pleased with the sentence, 183 00:12:19.570 --> 00:12:22.450 and I just think that he wants to get past 184 00:12:22.490 --> 00:12:26.110 this and move on. You know, Auditor Faber's office has 185 00:12:26.129 --> 00:12:31.679 done an amazing job of prosecuting public officials that are 186 00:12:31.779 --> 00:12:35.899 stealing money from taxpayers, and I cannot commend Auditor Faber 187 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:38.940 enough for the amount of work that his office put 188 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:39.460 into this. 189 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:40.559 Yeah. 190 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:44.370 And looking forward to speaking with Keith Faber coming up 191 00:12:44.379 --> 00:12:46.269 here in just a few minutes. We're talking with Bill 192 00:12:46.309 --> 00:12:51.250 Shope right now. He's the reporter, news director for Total Media. 193 00:12:51.289 --> 00:12:56.059 He's been covering this story for the last couple of years. Bill, 194 00:12:56.080 --> 00:13:00.100 do you feel in your investigation that there's been any 195 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:04.610 other involvement from any other officials? In other words, do 196 00:13:04.629 --> 00:13:10.139 you feel like You know, the other commissioners, have they 197 00:13:10.179 --> 00:13:13.860 done the right thing by turning over whatever they had 198 00:13:14.220 --> 00:13:16.700 and not being involved in this? And that goes for 199 00:13:16.779 --> 00:13:20.299 even the now deceased Kathy Coleman. And I know that 200 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:24.860 she was very much beloved in the community. Were there 201 00:13:24.980 --> 00:13:27.759 any allegations that she or any of the other commissioners 202 00:13:27.820 --> 00:13:28.460 involved in this? 203 00:13:31.379 --> 00:13:34.210 When you say allegations, I will say this. I've been 204 00:13:34.269 --> 00:13:38.870 privy to some information that I'm not going to disclose 205 00:13:38.909 -->

00:13:42.429 the source, but I did hear it with my own ears. 206 00:13:43.090 --> 00:13:48.429 There are several recorded phone conversations between former Commissioner Davis 207 00:13:48.529 --> 00:13:52.610 and Kathy Coleman and Robert Horton and Kathy Coleman. And 208 00:13:53.289 --> 00:13:56.129 Kathy Coleman never attempted to make any money off of 209 00:13:56.200 --> 00:13:59.710 this in any way, shape or form. She was very 210 00:13:59.769 --> 00:14:04.570 disturbed by what was going on, but she did know 211 00:14:04.629 --> 00:14:08.909 about it. And, you know, I would think if there 212 00:14:08.950 --> 00:14:13.440 was enough criminal activity at the time that with the 213 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:16.779 depth of Auditor Faber's investigation, that would have come out 214 00:14:16.940 --> 00:14:21.919 at that time. Commissioner Scotty Powell did work with the 215 00:14:21.940 --> 00:14:25.730 state auditor's office once he was made aware of what 216 00:14:25.769 --> 00:14:31.610 was taking place. And His statement yesterday, a victim impact statement, Tom, 217 00:14:32.350 --> 00:14:36.370 was a blistering one against Brian Davis. He even detailed 218 00:14:36.389 --> 00:14:41.100 a side scheme that was taking place with former Commissioner 219 00:14:41.139 --> 00:14:43.860 Davis and Robert Horton to where there was going to 220 00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:47.820 be another $ 10 million building added on to the current 221 00:14:47.860 --> 00:14:51.879 facility at the Minford Airport, the Soar Business Park. And 222 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:54.539 that was going to be done through Osteel out of 223 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:59.080 South Carolina as well. But Commissioner Powell did a great 224 00:14:59.139 --> 00:15:02.879 job in putting a stop to that and saying, look, 225 00:15:03.210 --> 00:15:06.750 we're not going to do this. And the current commission 226 00:15:06.789 --> 00:15:12.429 board had no side workings at all, Tom, in this 227 00:15:12.570 --> 00:15:18.299 entire matter. And again, Kathy Coleman was a fine person. 228 00:15:19.460 --> 00:15:22.539 She was a good commissioner, and she was an honest person. 229 00:15:23.509 --> 00:15:26.110 In my opinion, and this is my opinion, Tom, based 230 00:15:26.149 --> 00:15:29.090 on what I've heard with my own two ears, she 231 00:15:29.129 --> 00:15:32.549 was bullied into a number of things and threatened with 232 00:15:32.570 --> 00:15:34.929 the loss of jobs in our community, in our county, 233 00:15:35.570 --> 00:15:38.250 if some of these actions didn't take place. And it's 234 00:15:38.289 --> 00:15:41.049 my belief that Kathy was acting in the best interest 235 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:47.480 of all of Scioto County. And unfortunately, I kind of 236 00:15:47.500 --> 00:15:49.940 got into, I was yelled at by Commissioner Davis in 237 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:53.610 an open session for questioning about some of this. Following 238 00:15:53.649 --> 00:15:55.409 that meeting, Kathy told me, she said, I want to 239 00:15:55.450 --> 00:15:58.259 talk to you this evening about some things. And I said, 240 00:15:58.279 --> 00:16:00.659 that's fine. Just give me a call at your convenience. 241 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:04.100 And then a couple of hours later, she was involved 242 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:09.350 in that fatal car crash there in Greenup, Kentucky. So 243 00:16:10.029 --> 00:16:12.789 it's something that is going to stay with me. I 244 00:16:12.830 --> 00:16:14.649 just wonder what she would have said at that time. 245 00:16:15.370 --> 00:16:20.230 That was certainly odd timing, that. accidental crash. I mean, 246 00:16:20.830 --> 00:16:23.529 I'm sure it was investigated. I mean, there's no reason 247 00:16:23.549 --> 00:16:25.950 to think anything was suspicious there. 248 00:16:27.230 --> 00:16:30.379 Oh, absolutely not. No, it was pouring rain. Electric was 249 00:16:30.509 --> 00:16:35.139 out over in Greenup and somebody disobeyed a traffic signal 250 00:16:35.379 --> 00:16:39.159 and there was a horrible collision with another vehicle and 251 00:16:39.299 --> 00:16:41.759 Commissioner Coleman and her dog that she was taking to 252 00:16:41.799 --> 00:16:47.539 get an ice cream were killed. So Kathy lingered, you know, 253 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:51.799 for quite a while. Columbus did everything they could, you know, 254 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:55.620 to help her, but the injuries were just too difficult 255 00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:58.399 to overcome. And it was certainly a loss for our county. 256 00:16:58.639 --> 00:16:58.860 Yeah. 257 00:16:59.879 --> 00:17:03.159 Yeah. Much beloved former commissioner, Kathy Coleman. 258 00:17:03.259 --> 00:17:03.779 Absolutely. 259 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:06.480 She died. I believe she actually passed on July 4th 260 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:07.299 of last year, right? 261 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:09.059 That's accurate. 262 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:09.339 Yes. 263 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:09.680 Yeah. 264 00:17:09.980 --> 00:17:12.869 And, you know, Tom, you asked earlier about the mood 265 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:13.470 in the county. 266 00:17:13.490 --> 00:17:14.329 Yeah. 267 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:17.700 I'm going to go to a county commissioner's meeting today, 268 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:19.789 and I'm going to ask them a couple of hard 269 00:17:19.849 --> 00:17:23.490 questions about some things. And then once we have that, 270 00:17:24.289 --> 00:17:26.349 it's our intent here at Total Media that we're going 271 00:17:26.369 --> 00:17:28.769 to move on. There are a lot of good positive 272 00:17:28.809 --> 00:17:31.210 things happening in the county. But again, it's an historic 273 00:17:31.250 --> 00:17:35.190 moment in our county that I hope we never see again. And, 274 00:17:35.690 --> 00:17:38.690 you know, I hope that former Commissioner Davis learns from 275 00:17:38.730 --> 00:17:41.750 his mistakes. I hope his His wife does it as well, 276 00:17:42.250 --> 00:17:45.450 and they

come out of their sentencing better people. 277 00:17:45.910 --> 00:17:49.309 Did you ever ascertain, as he was involved in this 278 00:17:49.549 --> 00:17:56.009 kickback scheme, exactly where it was that he kind of 279 00:17:57.490 --> 00:18:02.500 lost his integrity and how that could happen? And certainly, look, 280 00:18:02.539 --> 00:18:04.559 that could happen to anybody in office. There's a lot 281 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:07.640 of opportunities when you get in a position of power, 282 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:10.839 but where it was that that he crossed the line? 283 00:18:12.700 --> 00:18:15.200 Well, actually, it started a number of years ago, back 284 00:18:15.259 --> 00:18:19.460 in 2021. I mean, let's put this in perspective. Robert 285 00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:23.890 Horton was, according to himself, was a very successful contractor 286 00:18:23.950 --> 00:18:27.289 in South Carolina and Florida that during an interview I 287 00:18:27.849 --> 00:18:30.089 had with him when he first came up here, he 288 00:18:30.130 --> 00:18:32.769 stated he was responsible for a lot of development on 289 00:18:32.809 --> 00:18:38.710 the boardwalk in Myrtle Beach. And so... When you look 290 00:18:38.730 --> 00:18:42.609 at that, why would a guy move from an extremely 291 00:18:44.470 --> 00:18:48.650 profitable job in an area whose development has been growing 292 00:18:48.730 --> 00:18:51.970 for 20-some years to move to one of the most 293 00:18:52.109 --> 00:18:56.670 economically depressed areas of the state of Ohio to take 294 00:18:56.869 --> 00:19:00.630 over an agency that was created when he got here? 295 00:19:01.329 --> 00:19:04.450 He had no family here. He never resided inside of 296 00:19:04.470 --> 00:19:09.490 the county. He resided in Adams County. So I think 297 00:19:09.910 --> 00:19:14.190 that he set this up from day one. He saw 298 00:19:14.210 --> 00:19:17.769 an opportunity. He knew he needed somebody to help move 299 00:19:17.789 --> 00:19:22.180 some legislation along. And flat out, Tom, Brian Davis lied 300 00:19:22.259 --> 00:19:27.619 to his fellow commissioners with threats and misinformation over a 301 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:30.440 long period of time, all the while, while he was 302 00:19:30.500 --> 00:19:35.529 collecting money. from these shell companies. And it was stated 303 00:19:35.569 --> 00:19:39.519 yesterday that Lori Davis even called Osteel's accountant and asked 304 00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:44.000 them to move payment over so that it would not 305 00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:47.109 reflect on Brian Davis. And that was one of the 306 00:19:47.150 --> 00:19:50.660 shell companies that she had set up. And that's she 307 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:55.779 ended up not being convicted or pleading guilty to any 308 00:19:55.799 --> 00:19:59.829 of those felony charges. But again, it's because I believe 309 00:19:59.849 --> 00:20:03.890 that she rolled over on her husband. And that's my opinion. Wow. 310 00:20:04.250 --> 00:20:06.589 And and received a lesser sentence. 311 00:20:06.849 --> 00:20:12.640 Yeah. Pretty incredible. Well, today it begins. The local officials, 312 00:20:12.660 --> 00:20:16.140 the new county commissioners, they have the opportunity to win 313 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:19.799 back the trust of the local people. And certainly you 314 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:22.079 hope that they do that and that we can move 315 00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:22.839 forward from here. 316 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:26.920 Tom, I'm glad you said that because the commissioners I 317 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:31.569 spoke with yesterday, that was exactly what their opinions are 318 00:20:31.710 --> 00:20:33.490 about how to handle this. And there's a lot of 319 00:20:33.529 --> 00:20:36.609 good things taking place in Scioto County right now. from 320 00:20:36.730 --> 00:20:40.730 a business development standpoint, you know, in Pipeton, the data 321 00:20:40.750 --> 00:20:44.190 center that's coming into Franklin Furnace, and in our entire region, 322 00:20:44.230 --> 00:20:47.089 as a matter of fact. And it's time. The criminals, 323 00:20:47.109 --> 00:20:51.029 you know, are locked up right now. And let's move 324 00:20:51.049 --> 00:20:52.470 forward and let's do a good job. 325 00:20:53.529 --> 00:20:57.430 Bill Shubb, Total Media News Director, Portsmouth. Thank you so 326 00:20:57.490 --> 00:21:01.410 much for covering this and for giving us the inside 327 00:21:01.450 --> 00:21:02.390 scoop here this morning. 328 00:21:03.500 --> 00:21:05.720 Tom, I always enjoy talking to you, man. Thank you. 329 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:06.880 God bless what you do, man. 330 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:10.880 Appreciate you. Take care. Hey, if you're looking for in-home 331 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:14.079 personal care needs for an elderly loved one, I want 332 00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:20.650 you to call Evan Worrell at 888-242-8404. Panhandle Support Services, 333 00:21:20.670 --> 00:21:23.750 a sponsor of the Tom Roden Show, offers the most 334 00:21:23.829 --> 00:21:27.799 professional and caring care. in-home personal care and homemaking services 335 00:21:28.059 --> 00:21:33.299 in West Virginia. Since 1991, they've provided superior certified in-home 336 00:21:33.339 --> 00:21:38.799 support service to their customers, assisting them in maintaining daily routines. 337 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:49.680 Learn more at personalinhomeservices.com. That's personalinhomeservices.com. We've been talking about 338 00:21:49.740 --> 00:21:55.680 this sentencing. Former Scioto County Commissioner Brian Davis is getting 339 00:21:55.680 --> 00:22:01.009 30 months. And Auditor Faber's office has done an incredible 340 00:22:01.049 --> 00:22:06.950 job here bringing this out and investigating this to the fullest. 341 00:22:07.150 --> 00:22:10.529 And pleased to be joined now by Ohio Auditor Keith Faber. 342 00:22:10.569 --> 00:22:11.150 Good morning, sir. 343 00:22:12.670 --> 00:22:13.109 Hey, Tom. 344

00:22:13.150 --> 00:22:13.710 Great to be here. 345 00:22:13.730 --> 00:22:18.000 Do you kind of feel like... You've had this sense 346 00:22:18.039 --> 00:22:23.500 of accomplishment in getting this done and, you know, putting 347 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:26.130 this to bed, so to speak, with the sentencing of 348 00:22:26.170 --> 00:22:26.750 Brian Davis. 349 00:22:28.089 --> 00:22:31.190 Yeah, I mean, certainly getting this case moving forward, there's 350 00:22:31.230 --> 00:22:34.509 still more investigation and more things going on here. You know, 351 00:22:34.529 --> 00:22:38.009 the other defendants who haven't pled guilty are innocent until 352 00:22:38.029 --> 00:22:39.859 proven guilty. I always have to say that, but the 353 00:22:39.910 --> 00:22:42.660 facts are the same. You know, this is conviction 169 354 00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:46.730 and 170 for our office since I've been audited. And 355 00:22:46.809 --> 00:22:49.069 I know in the last three months I have as 356 00:22:49.109 --> 00:22:51.990 your state auditor in Ohio, we are going to run 357 00:22:52.029 --> 00:22:55.880 through the finish line. We have a bunch more things 358 00:22:55.940 --> 00:22:58.599 in the pipeline. And so you're going to continue to 359 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:00.920 see us holding people who lie, steal, and cheat with 360 00:23:00.980 --> 00:23:04.029 public money accountable, just like we had with the first 170. 361 00:23:04.019 --> 00:23:10.769 Yeah. I mean, when people abuse their power, their position 362 00:23:10.789 --> 00:23:15.769 of authority... for personal gain, as Davis did with this 363 00:23:15.849 --> 00:23:19.619 kickback scheme. They need to be held accountable. It needs 364 00:23:19.650 --> 00:23:23.240 to be brought to light. And the people need to 365 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:27.079 be able to start regaining some confidence here in the 366 00:23:27.119 --> 00:23:30.819 new people that they have, in this case, specifically the 367 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:32.019 Scioto County Commissioners. 368 00:23:33.380 --> 00:23:37.839 That's exactly right. And our office is set up to 369 00:23:37.940 --> 00:23:41.119 start the process to bring people to justice who are 370 00:23:41.140 --> 00:23:45.279 doing this We go after public officials and politicians without 371 00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:48.079 regard to fear or favor, without regard to whether they're 372 00:23:48.119 --> 00:23:51.849 Republican or Democrat or an independent. Davis was a Republican. 373 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:54.750 I'm a Republican. If you're lying, stealing and cheating, I 374 00:23:54.769 --> 00:23:57.369 don't care what party you are. You're an offender and 375 00:23:57.410 --> 00:23:58.369 we're going to hold you accountable. 376 00:23:58.670 --> 00:23:58.890 Yeah. 377 00:23:59.789 --> 00:24:05.369 So in this case specifically with Brian Davis, um, Apparently 378 00:24:05.430 --> 00:24:08.329 this was some type of, and you mentioned innocent until 379 00:24:08.369 --> 00:24:12.390 proven guilty, but he was working with the Port Authority 380 00:24:12.410 --> 00:24:18.480 director there and Robert Horton on this kickback scheme. Davis's wife, Lori, 381 00:24:18.519 --> 00:24:22.000 was involved as well. She's not going to prison. She's 382 00:24:22.039 --> 00:24:26.279 getting this community control sentence, but she pleaded guilty to 383 00:24:26.339 --> 00:24:26.779 a felony. 384 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:31.009 Yeah, those two I can clearly say are guilty. They 385 00:24:31.029 --> 00:24:34.819 did what they did as charged in the indictment. You know, 386 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:39.059 Horton has been indicted with the same indictment. You know, 387 00:24:39.240 --> 00:24:41.720 the thing here in this story that was most interesting, 388 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:44.559 we picked this up during an audit when we started 389 00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:47.559 seeing payments going to people, but why are they getting 390 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:50.849 a payment kind of thing? And so when you start 391 00:24:50.910 --> 00:24:54.049 following those leads and pulling the leads, our team, our 392 00:24:54.089 --> 00:24:58.210 forensic auditors, investigators went across multiple states in this case. 393 00:24:58.950 --> 00:25:03.160 And when they got into the facts, The more we pulled, 394 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:08.230 the more it didn't look good. And ultimately, like most crimes, 395 00:25:08.690 --> 00:25:12.069 the original offense was bad enough, getting a kickback. The 396 00:25:12.109 --> 00:25:16.230 cover-up was worse. And the cover-up is part of what 397 00:25:16.289 --> 00:25:19.579 he was sentenced for. And so I always tell people 398 00:25:19.640 --> 00:25:22.079 that it's the cover-ups that really. 399 00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:24.660 Infringe. 400 00:25:25.019 --> 00:25:28.579 The original offense is bad, but true. trying to cover 401 00:25:28.599 --> 00:25:31.359 it up, that infringes even more on public trust because 402 00:25:31.400 --> 00:25:34.900 now you get into lying and cheating and colluding and 403 00:25:34.980 --> 00:25:38.240 all those things. And we believe that's all present in 404 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:38.759 this case. 405 00:25:40.900 --> 00:25:45.660 I'm presuming that Mrs. Davis had a different attorney than Mr. Davis. 406 00:25:45.799 --> 00:25:47.500 Did she roll on her husband? 407 00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:52.720 No, I think she had the same attorney. I think they... 408 00:25:53.410 --> 00:25:56.809 And ultimately, remember, he's a public official, so he has 409 00:25:56.890 --> 00:25:59.309 greater culpability in our view of the world. It was 410 00:25:59.369 --> 00:26:04.859 his vote that started this process. And so in that situation, 411 00:26:05.450 --> 00:26:09.319 her facts were a little different, wasn't quite as extreme. 412 00:26:09.940 --> 00:26:13.420 And so in our negotiations, we thought that was an 413 00:26:13.460 --> 00:26:18.839 appropriate adjustment to the sentence. Now,

look, I think the 414 00:26:18.859 --> 00:26:20.859 judge could have easily sent both of them to prison. 415 00:26:21.420 --> 00:26:23.900 The problem is that they've got young kids and kids 416 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:26.160 with special needs, and then you have to talk about 417 00:26:26.200 --> 00:26:28.500 what you do about that. Now, they could have staggered 418 00:26:28.539 --> 00:26:31.460 the prison terms and done other things, but in the end, 419 00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:34.480 we think this was an appropriate sentence for an appropriate crime. 420 00:26:35.789 --> 00:26:36.230 I would have. 421 00:26:36.309 --> 00:26:38.670 Preferred us to have the ability to put them in 422 00:26:38.710 --> 00:26:41.450 prison for the rest of their lives, but that's not 423 00:26:41.470 --> 00:26:43.569 what the law is. That's not what the sanctions are 424 00:26:43.630 --> 00:26:44.369 for those crimes. 425 00:26:46.130 --> 00:26:50.259 I understand that Brian Davis had like 70 people character 426 00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:53.160 witnesses there, but it didn't seem to make too much 427 00:26:53.180 --> 00:26:54.500 of a difference with the judge. 428 00:26:56.059 --> 00:26:58.660 Well, the judge could have stacked these offenses and could 429 00:26:58.680 --> 00:27:00.559 have given him upwards of five and a half years. 430 00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:04.119 So the judge did what most judges do. He sentenced 431 00:27:04.140 --> 00:27:09.079 them someplace in the mid-range of the sentencing parameters, particularly 432 00:27:09.099 --> 00:27:11.759 when you think about appeals and other things. And that's 433 00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:15.759 pretty much where the judge came down. We thought two 434 00:27:16.039 --> 00:27:20.119 and a half years is a sizable sentence. I did 435 00:27:20.329 --> 00:27:23.750 a first auditor in state to have personally tried one 436 00:27:23.769 --> 00:27:26.490 of these cases. And so I tried a case against 437 00:27:26.549 --> 00:27:29.509 the Lima Allen County Regional Transit Authority director, and we 438 00:27:29.549 --> 00:27:33.490 convicted her of seven felonies. And the judge sentenced her 439 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:35.519 to 12 and a half years in prison, but then 440 00:27:35.579 --> 00:27:39.240 ran them all concurrently. So she'll do 30 months as 441 00:27:39.299 --> 00:27:42.359 well for that offense where she was faking the sale 442 00:27:42.380 --> 00:27:44.799 of buses to move money into their political action committee. 443 00:27:45.299 --> 00:27:48.710 similar dollars. And so she'll actually do about 30 months 444 00:27:48.769 --> 00:27:51.509 as well. So based on that sentence alone, I can 445 00:27:51.549 --> 00:27:53.390 tell you this one's in the range. 446 00:27:54.130 --> 00:27:58.009 So Davis is doing 30 months, but also ordered to 447 00:27:58.069 --> 00:28:03.559 pay about $ 68, 000 in restitution to the county and over 448 00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:07.319 $ 500 to the auditor's office. But then also he's got 449 00:28:07.339 --> 00:28:10.710 to forfeit not only his retirement pay, but he has 450 00:28:10.750 --> 00:28:15.869 to repay his salary that he received. So that's a 451 00:28:15.930 --> 00:28:17.269 sizable amount right there. 452 00:28:17.289 --> 00:28:21.720 Oh, yeah. We always ask for restitution. And I always 453 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:24.539 say the criminal sanction is one of the most important 454 00:28:24.579 --> 00:28:27.700 things we go for, but we always go for restitution 455 00:28:28.099 --> 00:28:31.380 to make the taxpayers whole. And in this case, he's 456 00:28:31.440 --> 00:28:35.619 already paid, as I understand it, the $ 67, 000. That was part. 457 00:28:35.529 --> 00:28:35.920 Of the deal. 458 00:28:35.960 --> 00:28:39.150 He brought a check with him, and that's been deposited. 459 00:28:39.609 --> 00:28:43.400 And so that's a good thing. Paying back his salary 460 00:28:43.420 --> 00:28:45.599 will go to the county, and he'll have to do that. 461 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:49.359 And he'll forfeit his pension and retirement. That will all 462 00:28:49.400 --> 00:28:51.849 be seized to make part of that restitution as well. 463 00:28:52.069 --> 00:28:58.630 Yeah. So back to the man he allegedly has colluded 464 00:28:58.690 --> 00:29:02.259 with here, the former Scioto County Economic Development Director and 465 00:29:02.299 --> 00:29:06.259 Robert Horton. You know, there's reports that he may not 466 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:10.680 go to jail, that he might receive the community control 467 00:29:11.220 --> 00:29:15.369 similar to Mrs. Davis. But we don't know that as 468 00:29:15.430 --> 00:29:16.970 of yet. When will we find that out? 469 00:29:18.670 --> 00:29:21.470 Well, they were supposed to have had a date yesterday. 470 00:29:23.559 --> 00:29:25.640 And that got continued. So I don't know that the 471 00:29:25.680 --> 00:29:29.859 new date for a plea change or a hearing status 472 00:29:29.880 --> 00:29:34.410 conference has been set yet. And so when that happens, 473 00:29:34.450 --> 00:29:37.049 certainly you'll know about that. It'd be on the public docket. 474 00:29:37.930 --> 00:29:41.059 We anticipate, again, that he'll continue. in and plead guilty, 475 00:29:41.099 --> 00:29:44.680 but if he doesn't, then we'll have trial. My prosecutors 476 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:48.200 and trial guys are really good. I jokingly say, I 477 00:29:48.220 --> 00:29:50.109 don't know the exact number, but I think they're running 478 00:29:50.150 --> 00:29:55.009 about 170 to one on convictions. And if, if he 479 00:29:55.049 --> 00:29:56.730 wants to have a trial, we'll have a trial, but 480 00:29:57.180 --> 00:29:59.359 The fact of the matter is we've got very clear 481 00:29:59.420 --> 00:30:03.839 parameters where we don't indict or charge unless we believe 482 00:30:03.880 --> 00:30:06.950 that a jury will come back and convict him beyond 483 00:30:06.990 --> 00:30:10.930 a reasonable doubt. And so we have a really strong

484 00:30:10.970 --> 00:30:14.670 track record of having jurors do that. And so we'll 485 00:30:14.690 --> 00:30:18.170 see what he does. My guess is that based on 486 00:30:18.210 --> 00:30:19.640 these facts, he's going to plead guilty. 487 00:30:20.180 --> 00:30:22.619 Is Horton the last domino in this case, or is 488 00:30:22.660 --> 00:30:24.990 there anybody else that you're looking at? 489 00:30:26.349 --> 00:30:30.109 I can only say, Tom, because we've got an ongoing investigation, 490 00:30:30.170 --> 00:30:33.890 that the investigation goes on and the investigation goes on 491 00:30:33.930 --> 00:30:34.509 beyond Mr. 492 00:30:34.529 --> 00:30:34.809 Horton. 493 00:30:36.029 --> 00:30:40.980 Wow. Okay. Well, I mean, it looks like, you know, 494 00:30:41.019 --> 00:30:44.220 your office has done an incredible job here in bringing 495 00:30:44.259 --> 00:30:47.740 this out. And, you know, hopefully you'll make people of 496 00:30:47.819 --> 00:30:51.920 the county feel a little bit better about what has happened. But, 497 00:30:52.349 --> 00:30:56.200 I mean, always when you have situations like this, it's like, Well, 498 00:30:56.500 --> 00:30:58.920 there we go again. We can't trust the government, and 499 00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:01.539 there's a reason for that, and that's why we have 500 00:31:01.579 --> 00:31:03.940 to be vigilant and transparent. 501 00:31:05.819 --> 00:31:09.950 Yeah, and I appreciate that sentiment. I certainly have seen that. 502 00:31:10.349 --> 00:31:12.470 But I would tell people outside of county, you've got 503 00:31:12.509 --> 00:31:15.569 some really good elected officials down there. You've got a 504 00:31:15.609 --> 00:31:17.849 couple of other county commissioners who feel like they were 505 00:31:17.930 --> 00:31:24.160 duped by Davis, and they take their job seriously. they 506 00:31:24.319 --> 00:31:28.180 all want justice for this case. One of them testified and, 507 00:31:28.380 --> 00:31:31.960 and made a very good victim impact statement as to 508 00:31:32.019 --> 00:31:35.740 what that meant to the County and the citizens. Santa 509 00:31:35.779 --> 00:31:38.819 County is a great place in Ohio, but look, it's 510 00:31:38.859 --> 00:31:43.609 had its challenges and it continues to have challenges. And, 511 00:31:43.849 --> 00:31:46.869 and certainly having a corrupt County commissioner isn't, isn't helpful 512 00:31:46.930 --> 00:31:49.650 for that. And we will do what we can to 513 00:31:49.849 --> 00:31:52.009 help restore trust. Yeah. 514 00:31:53.299 --> 00:31:56.720 I want to get your thought on another subject that 515 00:31:56.759 --> 00:32:01.079 your office is dealing with, and that is cybercrime. And 516 00:32:01.240 --> 00:32:03.680 you have a recent case in this, but you say 517 00:32:04.180 --> 00:32:09.630 that Ohio governments have lost roughly $ 15 million to cyberattacks 518 00:32:09.690 --> 00:32:10.329 and scams. 519 00:32:11.670 --> 00:32:15.369 Yeah, we lose more money to cybercrime than we do 520 00:32:15.390 --> 00:32:18.369 to employee theft and dishonesty like this case in Ohio. 521 00:32:19.400 --> 00:32:23.259 Every week goes by, we get notification of another six-figure 522 00:32:23.299 --> 00:32:27.539 loss to government somewhere in Ohio because they've been the 523 00:32:27.579 --> 00:32:30.119 victim of a vendor redirect or a cyber hack or 524 00:32:30.180 --> 00:32:33.920 something going on. But it's not just government, Tom. It's 525 00:32:33.940 --> 00:32:38.329 your listeners. We have individuals, particularly senior citizens, who are 526 00:32:38.400 --> 00:32:43.450 being victimized by these cyber fraudsters. And it's tough to 527 00:32:43.490 --> 00:32:45.990 do anything about it from government, but it's something government 528 00:32:46.009 --> 00:32:48.000 ought to do more. And One of the things when 529 00:32:48.039 --> 00:32:50.000 I'm attorney general, we want to do is have a 530 00:32:50.019 --> 00:32:52.990 group that hacks the hackers, that goes back and tries 531 00:32:53.029 --> 00:32:57.750 to identify who they are by reverse hacking them and 532 00:32:57.890 --> 00:33:01.170 tries to identify where they're from and get their money 533 00:33:01.210 --> 00:33:05.980 back to pay the victims. But more importantly, now that 534 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:08.880 we've got an administration in Washington, D.C. that's willing to 535 00:33:08.980 --> 00:33:11.859 extradite these guys, try and get them back here to 536 00:33:11.900 --> 00:33:14.759 stand justice. I was part of a press conference with 537 00:33:14.819 --> 00:33:19.680 the United States Attorney General and Kash Patel, the FBI director, 538 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:22.539 where they announced that they were extraditing four guys from 539 00:33:22.660 --> 00:33:27.269 Africa to Ohio who had been involved in a romance 540 00:33:27.329 --> 00:33:30.730 scam with senior citizens. So if we can get them, 541 00:33:30.789 --> 00:33:33.490 grab them, bring them back, prosecute them, make examples, the 542 00:33:33.509 --> 00:33:37.490 message is don't screw with Ohioans. But part of the 543 00:33:37.609 --> 00:33:40.349 answer is to educate. And I have been out there 544 00:33:40.369 --> 00:33:44.089 trying to educate Ohioans and local governments in Ohio on 545 00:33:44.130 --> 00:33:46.720 how to avoid extradition. being a victim. And the simplest 546 00:33:46.819 --> 00:33:49.960 answer is somebody calls you, they email you, they text 547 00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:53.910 you unsolicited, don't open the link, don't answer, hang up. 548 00:33:54.730 --> 00:33:57.450 I get eight to 10 scam calls a day trying 549 00:33:57.490 --> 00:33:59.789 to convince me that they can get me a better 550 00:33:59.849 --> 00:34:03.190 deal on Medicare. Well, here's the joke. I know they're 551 00:34:03.210 --> 00:34:05.140 all scam calls because I'm not old enough to get 552 00:34:05.259 --> 00:34:07.819 on Medicare yet. And so when they say your Medicare 553

00:34:07.859 --> 00:34:10.699 benefits are sitting out here not being used, I know 554 00:34:10.739 --> 00:34:14.260 those are scam calls. But if you're a senior citizen 555 00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:16.219 and you get that call and somebody says, hey, we 556 00:34:16.260 --> 00:34:20.219 can get you, you know, $ 500 a month extra, people go, well, 557 00:34:20.659 --> 00:34:24.079 maybe I ought to look into that. And the reality 558 00:34:24.159 --> 00:34:28.489 is that those are unsolicited calls, unsolicited emails, unsolicited texts. 559 00:34:29.070 --> 00:34:32.090 It's a scam. They're trying to take advantage of you 560 00:34:32.150 --> 00:34:33.130 and the system. Yeah. 561 00:34:33.719 --> 00:34:37.059 You know, we're hearing a lot about flock cameras these days, 562 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:40.719 and certainly they're all over Columbus, and a growing number 563 00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:44.739 of them even in more rural parts of Ohio. I 564 00:34:44.780 --> 00:34:49.550 just saw a story where hackers had breached the data 565 00:34:50.210 --> 00:34:53.989 of a flock camera, and they did this to show 566 00:34:54.050 --> 00:34:57.369 the media that, hey, this can be done fairly easily. 567 00:34:57.670 --> 00:34:59.889 So that's got to be, with all the other concerns 568 00:34:59.969 --> 00:35:02.489 and debates about flock cameras, there's another one to be 569 00:35:02.530 --> 00:35:03.110 concerned about. 570 00:35:04.789 --> 00:35:07.929 Yeah, I mean, flock cameras are interesting because if you 571 00:35:07.969 --> 00:35:10.840 talk to law enforcement, they'll tell you that it may 572 00:35:10.889 --> 00:35:14.219 be one of the best law enforcement crime-solving tools they've 573 00:35:14.239 --> 00:35:20.079 had since DNA. And there are plenty of crimes, whether 574 00:35:20.119 --> 00:35:23.079 it's the Tepe murder case in Columbus, or I was 575 00:35:23.119 --> 00:35:26.139 just with the police chief in Marion who told me 576 00:35:26.159 --> 00:35:29.380 they had solved a couple of child abduction cases with 577 00:35:29.400 --> 00:35:32.389 flock cameras pretty quickly. And so there are benefits to 578 00:35:32.570 --> 00:35:34.789 law enforcement, but I think the solution is we got 579 00:35:34.809 --> 00:35:39.730 to lock these things down and only allow law enforcement 580 00:35:39.780 --> 00:35:42.900 with a law enforcement purpose to have access to this data, 581 00:35:43.599 --> 00:35:48.400 particularly in certain circumstances, probably should require a warrant when 582 00:35:48.420 --> 00:35:53.039 you're trying to do a mosaic of somebody's activities and movements. 583 00:35:53.480 --> 00:35:55.539 You probably need to have a warrant. And I'm not 584 00:35:55.599 --> 00:35:58.280 sure you shouldn't only limit it to supervisors, but that 585 00:35:58.320 --> 00:36:01.989 discussion is ongoing. And we can do that. We have 586 00:36:02.070 --> 00:36:05.949 other law enforcement databases, whether it's the Lean Network or 587 00:36:06.010 --> 00:36:08.409 other things, where only law enforcement get to see it. 588 00:36:09.030 --> 00:36:12.349 But the ORS system, which is the system where you 589 00:36:12.389 --> 00:36:16.489 track drug, to look for drug shopping and physician shopping, 590 00:36:17.260 --> 00:36:21.199 has a similar requirement. Anytime somebody accesses those computers to 591 00:36:21.239 --> 00:36:24.099 get that data, they have to put a case number 592 00:36:24.659 --> 00:36:28.699 And put information and an authorization from the supervisor to 593 00:36:28.739 --> 00:36:31.010 go in and do that. And those are all audited. 594 00:36:31.710 --> 00:36:34.670 And so maybe we need a system like that. But 595 00:36:34.769 --> 00:36:37.349 either way, it needs to be tightened up, Tom. It 596 00:36:37.389 --> 00:36:39.550 just can't be a system that somebody can go, a 597 00:36:40.119 --> 00:36:43.059 law enforcement guy can go track their ex-wife or girlfriend's 598 00:36:43.139 --> 00:36:48.449 activities online. or subject to being hacked. And so absolutely, 599 00:36:48.489 --> 00:36:50.650 if you're going to have this database, it needs to 600 00:36:50.690 --> 00:36:51.269 be tightened up. 601 00:36:51.449 --> 00:36:54.309 Yeah. Yeah. And I think that really kind of goes 602 00:36:54.389 --> 00:36:56.710 in with what you've talked about, where you say, you know, 603 00:36:57.130 --> 00:37:00.550 as attorney general, you're wanting to create a public integrity 604 00:37:00.610 --> 00:37:04.750 and anti-corruption task force. So, I mean, that goes for 605 00:37:05.110 --> 00:37:08.199 all elected officials and then people in authority like those 606 00:37:08.260 --> 00:37:10.880 police officers that we've read about who have abused the 607 00:37:10.900 --> 00:37:11.539 flock system. 608 00:37:13.110 --> 00:37:15.969 That's absolutely right. You know, as auditor, I have convicted 609 00:37:16.030 --> 00:37:19.389 two county sheriffs and put them in prison for abusing 610 00:37:19.429 --> 00:37:24.280 their responsibilities. We've convicted law enforcement folks who were violating 611 00:37:24.360 --> 00:37:27.139 the lien or the other laws. That's a felony in Ohio. 612 00:37:28.119 --> 00:37:30.380 And so we need to have a unit in the 613 00:37:30.420 --> 00:37:33.099 attorney general's office that can continue to go out and 614 00:37:34.019 --> 00:37:38.730 promote public integrity and go after people when they violate it. 615 00:37:39.179 --> 00:37:40.940 And so that's one of the things that we're going 616 00:37:40.980 --> 00:37:43.539 to do when I become attorney general. Add to that 617 00:37:43.639 --> 00:37:46.960 some of the consumer protection stuff and the anti-cyber fraud stuff. 618 00:37:47.539 --> 00:37:49.780 As I say, if you're a human trafficker in Ohio, 619 00:37:49.800 --> 00:37:52.639 we're going to get you. If you're engaged in elder 620 00:37:52.659 --> 00:37:54.769 abuse in Ohio, we're going to get you. If you're 621 00:37:54.789

--> 00:37:59.090 engaged in consumer fraud, we're going to come after you. 622 00:37:59.530 --> 00:38:01.909 Those are all things that a good attorney general should do. 623 00:38:03.170 --> 00:38:06.320 And we will be happy to work regionally and nationally 624 00:38:06.360 --> 00:38:09.079 with other attorney generals. You've got a really good attorney 625 00:38:09.119 --> 00:38:12.210 general in West Virginia. He's a friend of mine. We 626 00:38:12.250 --> 00:38:16.550 will work with them on cross-border offenses and cross-border crime, 627 00:38:16.570 --> 00:38:19.989 whether it's organized retail theft. Anything that's trying to take 628 00:38:20.030 --> 00:38:24.659 advantage of people in Ohio, we're going to promote justice, 629 00:38:24.780 --> 00:38:27.119 and that's what an attorney general does. I've got a 630 00:38:27.159 --> 00:38:31.159 track record of doing that, and the only one running 631 00:38:31.199 --> 00:38:33.280 for attorney general who's prosecuted criminals. 632 00:38:34.739 --> 00:38:40.789 And this Ohio auditor, Keith Faber, has just... gotten done 633 00:38:40.889 --> 00:38:44.900 here with this sentencing of former Scioto County Commissioner Brian 634 00:38:44.940 --> 00:38:48.079 Davis will serve two and a half years in prison 635 00:38:48.340 --> 00:38:56.199 on this kickback scheme that has reverberated throughout southeastern Ohio 636 00:38:56.699 --> 00:39:00.230 and of course Keith Faber also Republican candidate for Attorney 637 00:39:00.269 --> 00:39:04.590 General on Election Day November 3rd. Sir thank you so 638 00:39:04.630 --> 00:39:05.989 much for joining us appreciate it. 639 00:39:07.050 --> 00:39:10.630 Thanks Tom and thanks for bringing your listeners up to 640 00:39:10.670 --> 00:39:11.989 date on these important cases. 641 00:39:12.409 --> 00:39:19.460 Absolutely. The Tom Roten Show is sponsored in part by movcac.com. 642 00:39:19.940 --> 00:39:25.869 It stands for Motivate, Organize, Volunteer Citizens Action Coalition, Turning 643 00:39:25.909 --> 00:39:31.219 Talk Into Action. Listen, if these Corvettes line up with 644 00:39:31.260 --> 00:39:36.079 what you believe, join the movement. Protect the sanctity of life, 645 00:39:36.619 --> 00:39:40.780 restore voter integrity, the right of free speech, the right 646 00:39:40.820 --> 00:39:45.360 to keep and bear arms, protect the innocent, and medical freedom. 647 00:39:45.739 --> 00:39:51.110 Those are the core values at MOVCAC. Again, if there's 648 00:39:51.230 --> 00:39:54.730 not a chapter in your area, look to start one. 649 00:39:54.889 --> 00:40:01.139 Go to movcac.com. Hey folks, keep your immune system healthy 650 00:40:01.179 --> 00:40:04.619 with vitamins and supplements from Holy Moly Health Food Store. 651 00:40:05.039 --> 00:40:07.530 That's where me and my family get all of our 652 00:40:07.570 --> 00:40:11.570 vitamins and supplements and why we're able to stay healthy 653 00:40:11.869 --> 00:40:16.429 even during flu season, even during allergy season. We keep 654 00:40:16.530 --> 00:40:20.500 our immune systems boosted through the vitamins and supplements that 655 00:40:20.539 --> 00:40:22.800 we get at Holy Moly, and you can too. They've 656 00:40:22.820 --> 00:40:25.940 been voted best in the tri-state for nine straight years. 657 00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:29.559 See Jamie Lafeer and the friendly, knowledgeable staff. They're located 658 00:40:29.739 --> 00:40:35.230 in the Merritt's Creek Shopping Plaza, Barbersville, West Virginia. Holy Moly. 659 00:40:36.400 --> 00:40:39.539 So what do you think, Roten Army? Brian Davis sentenced 660 00:40:39.579 --> 00:40:45.409 to 30 months in prison, paying $ 68, 000 in restitution. Is 661 00:40:45.489 --> 00:40:47.789 that enough? Should it have been more? And should his 662 00:40:47.909 --> 00:40:51.710 wife also have gotten prison time? Let me know your 663 00:40:51.750 --> 00:40:56.869 thoughts on my conversation with Auditor Keith Faber and Total 664 00:40:56.909 --> 00:41:01.420 Media News Director Bill Shope. Email address... Tom Roten Show 665 00:41:01.500 --> 00:41:06.239 at Outlook.com. Tom Roten Show at Outlook.com. Both Bill Shope 666 00:41:06.590 --> 00:41:10.329 and Ohio Auditor Keith Faber appeared on the Tom Roten 667 00:41:10.349 --> 00:41:14.510 Morning Show on the Eagle. Total Media Radio stations in Ohio, 668 00:41:14.550 --> 00:41:18.349 West Virginia, and Kentucky. You can listen live weekday mornings 669 00:41:18.349 --> 00:41:21.269 6 to 9. Download the Total Media app to your 670 00:41:21.309 --> 00:41:24.610 phone and click on the Eagle. That'll do it for 671 00:41:24.630 --> 00:41:27.369 this episode. Thank you so much for listening, Roten Army, 672 00:41:27.789 --> 00:41:28.889 to the Tom Roten Show.