Former Community Action director indicted

On Oct. 25, a Mahoning County Grand Jury issued a four-count indictment against Richard Roller, Jr., the former executive director of the Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership.

The grand jury indicted Roller on one count of Theft in Office, a felony of the third degree, grand theft and having an unlawful interest in a public contract, both fourth-degree felonies, and soliciting or receiving improper compensation, a first-degree misdemeanor.

The charges stem from a joint investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

Micah Ault, an assistant attorney general with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, has been assigned as a special prosecutor in the matter.

The filing of an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Any person charged is entitled to a trial in which it would be the state’s burden to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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OEC extends financial disclosure deadline

The Ohio Ethics Commission has extended the financial disclosure filing deadline for those disclosure filers whose deadline would ordinarily be April 15, 2013.

That deadline was extended by the Commission to May 15, 2013 in recognition of its new electronic filing system which will be available in early 2013.

Commission Chairman Merom Brachman commended the staff focus on fast-tracking a new choice for 2013 for filers to submit their statements on-line, aiming at the greatest number who report under the law.

Brachman added, “Having this extra 30 days until May 15 will help filers input data for timely disclosure submissions.”

Further, to allow the public the necessary time to review forms from candidates for elective office who file financial disclosures before next May’s primary election, their deadline is not changed and they will still need to file 30 days before the election (by April 8, 2013).

The commission also adopted two hypothetical advisory opinions regarding revolving door law exceptions.

• The first hypothetical (Advisory Opinion 2012-03) explains two newly enacted exceptions to the Revolving Door Law that apply to non-elected state and local officials and employees who accept employment at another state agency or subdivision of their same local public agency.

• The second hypothetical (Advisory Opinion 2012-04) explains a separate exception to the Revolving Door Law that applies to a former public employee when he or she is retained by the former public agency or by a third party employer if the former public employer determines that his or her work for the new employer will assist the former public employer.

In other business, the commission heard reports on financial disclosure, public outreach and communication efforts and confidential reports on pending investigations.