Former Ohio House page charged in letter forgery

The Highland County Press

Former Ohio House page and Ohio State University student Carlos Arrigo is facing a fifth-degree felony charge of forgery after allegedly sending a political letter with ties to a recent Republican primary election in southern Ohio.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, “Investigators concluded months ago that Arrigo, 20, who resigned from the House staff on Oct. 3, 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 never wrote the letter.

An investigation led by the Ohio Highway Patrol apparently identified the person who sent it as a House page who is assigned to a separate Republican lawmaker. O’Brien said last September that he asked the Ohio Highway Patrol to do some additional investigation. He said he wanted to know if the young man really acted alone.

This week, O’Brien said Arrigo allegedly acted alone for “stupid reasons.”

“There was concern that he was acting on behalf of someone with more power and authority in an attempt to embarrass Butler and influence the speaker’s race, the Dispatch reported.

“We are satisfied there was no broader conspiracy,” O’Brien said.

For more information, go to: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/03/20/page_charged_in_forgery_case.html