Former Ohio House page sentenced in letter forgery

The Highland County Press

Former Ohio House page Carlos Arrigo, who was charged with forging a February 2014 letter under the name of an Ohio lawmaker, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Sept. 1 to two first-degree misdemeanors.

According to a Columbus Dispatch article by Jim Siegel (see http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/09/01/page-forge-letter-plead.html), Arrigo is a 20-year-old Ohio State University student from Greentown, Pa. He was fined a $500 for attempted forgery and attempted identity fraud.

Arrigo had faced a fifth-degree felony charge of forgery after allegedly sending a political letter with ties to the 2014 Republican primary election in southern Ohio.

As previously reported, investigators concluded that Arrigo – who resigned from the House staff on Oct. 3, 2014 – forged a letter under the name of Rep. Jim Butler, R-Oakwood, in February 2014 and sent it to Barb Cole of Hillsboro, the GOP primary opponent of now-House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, R-Clarksville.

As previously reported, in February 2014, prior to the Republican primary election for Ohio's 91st House District, Cole received what appear to be a letter of endorsement from State Rep. Jim Butler, an Oakwood Republican, in her campaign against Rosenberger.

That letter – dated Feb. 19, 2014 on Rep. Butler's stationery – was central to a criminal investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien

Butler, who was Rosenberger’s chief rival to be the next House speaker, said he did not write the letter.

For more information, go to http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/09/01/page-forge-letter-plead.html.