Chinese Man Illegally in the U.S. Indicted on 309 Felony Charges in Ohio for Role in Gift Card Counterfeiting Scheme

Gift Cards

A Chinese man who entered the U.S. illegally has been indicted by a Coshocton County grand jury on 309 felony charges related to a gift card counterfeiting scheme, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.

Ming Xue, 32, of Hunan, Fujian – a province on the southeastern coast of China – faces 308 counts of counterfeiting and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, according to Yost’s office.

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DOJ, Three More States Join Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Lawsuit Against the NCAA

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Thursday the Department of Justice (DOJ), three states, and the District of Columbia all joined his antitrust lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Transfer Eligibility Rule this week.

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Six Members of a South Columbus Violent Crime Ring Indicted on 124 Felony Charges

An investigation conducted by the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force has resulted in six alleged members of a violent crime ring in south Columbus being indicted on a combined 124 felony charges, according to Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.

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Ohio Ballot Board Updates State Issue 1 Ballot Language

The Ohio Ballot Board approved new ballot language for State Issue 1 following an Ohio Supreme Court ruling that the board rewrites the proposal to address issues in the ballot text of the previously approved version.

The new version approved by the Ballot Board in a 3-2 vote split down party lines summarizes for voters what State Issue 1 would do if passed, updated a section of text that the state Supreme Court said misrepresented the new threshold of voter signatures that amendment campaigns must amass from each Ohio county to be eligible for the ballot and removed the term “any” from the title of the ballot wording.

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Ohio Ballot Board Certifies Amendment to Raise the State Minimum Wage

On Monday, The Ohio Ballot Board unanimously certified that the proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour called “Raise the Wage Ohio Amendment” incorporates only one constitutional amendment and therefore advances.

The Committee to Represent the Petitioners including Prentiss Haney, Taneisha Latoya Head, Kandiss Bondurant, Mary Jo Ivan, Diane Morgan, and Andrew Ritterman must now gather over 413,000 signatures from registered voters in at least 44 counties, which equals 10 percent of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election before July 5th. The number of signatures must equal at least 5 percent of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial race in each county.

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Ohio State Representative Calls on House Speaker Stephens to Move the Ohio Constitutional Protection Amendment to the House Floor

State Representative Scott Wiggam (R- Wayne County) sent a letter on Tuesday to moderate Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) urging him to move the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment to the House floor as soon as it passes out of committee for an August election.

This follows Stephens removing Wiggam from his position as chair of the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee and the committee all together due to Wiggam signing a discharge petition last week to accelerate the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment, also known as House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1, which aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.

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Ohio Republican Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Protect Ohio Businesses from Fraud

A Republican lawmaker introduced legislation to improve protections for Ohio businesses from fraud, theft, and scams.

Senate Bill (SB) 98, sponsored by State Senator Michael Rulli (R-Salem), contains solutions Rulli says will allow Ohio businesses to combat those issues.

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Ohio Amendment to Enshrine Abortion in State Constitution Moves Forward

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office certified the petition summary on Thursday for “The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety,” a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize abortion throughout the state. The amendment would add Section 22 to Article 1 of the state Constitution.

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Pro-Choice Group Announces Intent to File Ohio Ballot Initiative to Legalize Abortion

A coalition of abortionists and pro-choice activists have announced their intent to file a ballot initiative to insert legalized abortion in the Ohio Constitution.

The group called Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom is a group formed by the left-leaning organizations the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio, Abortion Fund of Ohio, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, and others.

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Ohio House Passes Bill to Decriminalize Fentanyl Test Strips

The Ohio House passed a bill Wednesday, with bipartisan support, that would decriminalize Fentanyl testing strips, pushing forward with a proposal that supporters claim will help prevent fatal overdoses and save lives.

In the state of Ohio Fentanyl drug testing strips are considered drug paraphernalia and it’s illegal for someone to be in possession of them.

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Akron Maintains Curfew in Wake of Walker Shooting

A curfew imposed in downtown Akron, OH on Monday, July 4, continues in the aftermath of the death of Jayland Walker by police gunfire.

The curfew applies during the hours between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. It resulted in the cancellation of fireworks to celebrate July Fourth at several sites in the city. Municipal officials noted that although protests in response to the shooting were peaceful early on Monday, evening demonstrations turned violent and resulted in serious damage to businesses on Main Street.

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Ohio Attorney General Silent After Texas, Others Leave NAAG

After the top attorneys in Texas, Montana and Missouri announced that they would be leaving the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), Ohio appears poised to remain part of the group.

“The attorneys general of Texas, Missouri and Montana have decided to withdraw our states’ membership from NAAG,” said a letter penned by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).

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Failed Ohio AG Candidate Nominated to Head ATF

A failed candidate for Ohio Attorney General and former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Monday was tapped by President Joe Biden to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

“Today, to lead and support the dedicated men and women of the ATF, I’m proud to nominate Steve Dettelbach,” Biden said during a Rose Garden speech, apologizing for mispronouncing his pick’s last name. “Steve is immensely qualified. He served the Department of Justice for two decades. He worked side by side to support the work of federal, state and local law enforcement, including ATF agents. One of the cases he personally tried as a U.S. Attorney were the serial arsonists who firebombed the courthouses and police headquarters in Mansfield, Ohio.”

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Ohio Lawmaker: Bill to Expunge Violations and Return Fines to Businesses Gains Momentum

Ohio Statehouse of Representatives

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A bill drafted in the Ohio House of Representatives that would remove penalties enforced on businesses for COVID violations  may have a rallying point after two separate videos were sent to The Ohio Star – in them tipsters allege Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Stephanie McCloud and her husband are both spotted on separate occasions inside a Columbus area establishment where there appear to be violations of statewide COVID regulations.

According to information obtained from the Ohio Investigative Unit (OIU)– the officials who go undercover in bars and restaurants – the establishment where both McClouds are seen had not received a citation for violating COVID orders between March 2020 and March 2021. 

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Columbus Police Release More Footage and 911 Calls in Shooting Death of 16-year-Old

Columbus Division of Police released body camera footage Tuesday night showing the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant that occurred earlier in the day.  Wednesday afternoon, police released additional body cam recordings and two 911 calls.

Interim Chief of Police Michael Woods said it’s uncommon for information to be provided this soon, but officials understand the public’s need, desire and expectation to have transparency about what happened.

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EXCLUSIVE: One Year Into Mandates Ohio Still Can’t Back Up Policies When Under Oath, Maurice Thompson Says

Monday will mark one year since Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the statewide stay at home order signed by then-Director of the Ohio Department of Health Dr. Amy Acton.

Soon after, the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law began litigating to challenge the lawfulness of the orders, “winning many cases,” according to Maurice Thompson, an attorney for the firm.

“One year later, the Department of Health – when under oath – still cannot justify the “Director’s Stay at Home Orders,” said Thompson in a press release similarly titled that he shared exclusively with The Ohio Star on Friday morning.

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Making JobsOhio Transparent Is Like Making Sausage: It’s Not Pretty

JobsOhio has operated as a privatized, independent economic development agency for the State of Ohio since 2011. In all that time, a few concerned officials have tried to peel back the curtain obscuring its inner workings, too little success.

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JobsOhio Operates as Outsourced Economic Development Agency on Behalf of State of Ohio, Thanks to Receiving All Liquor Tax Funds

One would normally think that a state’s official economic development agency was nestled into a state department to best coordinate with elected officials. One would be mistaken in Ohio’s case.

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Dave Yost Joins Amicus Brief to Protect National Guardsmen from Employment Discrimination

  Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost recently announced that he has joined 23 states in filing an amicus brief to protect members of the National Guard from employment discrimination. The amicus brief was filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. It was filed in response…

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Attorney General Dave Yost Rejects Petition to Get Background Checks Measure on 2020 Ballot

  Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Thursday that his office has rejected a petition to get a background-checks measure placed on the 2020 ballot. As The Ohio Star reported last week, a group called Ohioans for Gun Safety filed a petition with the Attorney General’s Office to have its…

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2018 Ohio Attorney General Candidate Signs Letter Saying Trump Should Be Prosecuted

  Steven Dettelbach, former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and 2018 Democratic attorney general candidate, joined nearly 800 U.S. Department of Justice alumni in suggesting that President Donald Trump obstructed justice in a Monday letter. “Each of us believes that the conduct of President Trump described in…

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