Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Ohio Auditor of State Fraud Reporting System is Now Live

The brand new Ohio Auditor of State Fraud Reporting System went live on Friday, May 4, 2012. This system will allow any Ohio citizen to anonymously report fraud complaints against public offices. Complaints can be called in to the hotline at 1-866 -FRAUD OH (1-866-372-8364) or mailed to the following address:

Ohio Auditor of State’s Office
Special Investigations Unit
88 East Broad Street
P.O. Box 1140
Columbus, OH 43215
The Auditor will keep track of all reports in a public database that will be updated weekly with information on the nature of each complaint, the entity involved and the status of the state's investigation. Click here for more information about the new system.

Don't Get Scammed by IOLTA Scam

According to the Ohio Supreme Court, lawyers are being targeted in the latest Internet email scam. Apparently, non-lawyers posing as lawyers are sending emails to real lawyers about alleged debtors who want to pay up. The phony debtors then follow-up with the real lawyers and send them bad checks that will bounce. Not knowing the checks are bad, the innocent attorneys are being asked to advance funds from their IOLTA accounts. Guess who is left holding the bag?  Click here to read the Ohio's Supreme Court's press release and advisory about this problem hitting our profession.

Attorney General Sues Florida Fundraiser Under Ohio's Charitable Solicitations Act

On August 15, 2007, Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann sued a Florida company named Xentel Inc., alleging that it defrauded charities in violation of Ohio's Charitable Solicitation Act contained in ORC Chapter 1716. The case, which was filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, Case No. 07 CV 010900, was assigned to Judge Guy Reece. Among the entities Dann claims Xentel defrauded are the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the Ohio Vietnam Veterans Assistance Council and the Ohio Narcotics Officers' Association. Since the case was just filed, the docket only reflects deadlines for a status conference, disclosure of witnesses, other pre-trial assignments, and a preliminary trial date of 9/22/08. The Attorney General's office maintains a Charitable Organizations Section which enforces the Charitable Solicitation Act and has issued an Information Sheet on the provisions of the Act. Click here to read an article about the suit from the Plain Dealer online.