Tag: ohio

Nude Shrek Text to Ohio State Senator Reportedly Lands Blogger in Jail

Last week, The Columbus Dispatch reported that D.J. Byrnes—an Ohio blogger who runs a Statehouse gossip Substack called The Rooster—was arrested on a misdemeanor warrant at the Ohio Statehouse. Byrnes’ arrest, according to reporting by Signal Ohio, likely stems from a picture he texted to state Sen. Jerry Cirino (R–Kirtland) on May 6. The offending image? A “digitally altered version of Shrek, the ogre with a titular children’s movie franchise, with his penis exposed,” according to Signal Ohio. Police records did not identify Cirino by name, but the outlet confirmed he was the “recipient of the text messages based on the text messages themselves and other details within the police report.”

An affidavit with Byrnes’ arrest report described the ogre as “fully nude with an exposed and erect humanlike penis engaged in an act of masturbation,” according to the outlet. The text exchange also included a message calling Cirino “Young Mussolini.”

On May 8, Cirino reportedly emailed the Kirtland Police Department asking officers to file charges against Byrnes.

“Not only is the message harassing but the disgusting picture is pornographic in nature and not something I want to see on any of my devices,” said the email sent to Kirtland police.

After his arrest on June 1, Byrnes was booked into the Franklin County Jail, where he says he spent 23 hours in custody, according to a statement posted on The Rooster. The Columbus Dispatch reported that he was released on bond on June 2. Byrnes wrote that he would not comment on the specifics of the allegations, but he says he believes he will be found innocent in court. He was arrested on telecommunications harassment charges, according to Signal Ohio, and could face up to six months in jail.

In its analysis of the case, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a pro–free speech organization, cautioned that, “as in essentially all First Amendment cases, context and details matter.” Based on the available facts, however, the organization wrote that “Byrnes should not be facing telecommunications harassment charges.”

FIRE argues that Byrnes’ “shrexting” did not amount to obscenity because the image fails to pass the three-prong obscenity test set by Miller. v. California: Would the average person see the work as appealing “to the prurient interest”? Does it depict sexual conduct in a “patently offensive way” as defined by state laws? And finally, does the work lack “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value”? The text was clearly a piece of “political mockery,” and it was not intended to “arouse anyone’s sexual interest,” FIRE wrote, meaning it fails the Miller test. The “handful of afternoon texts,” from what FIRE reviewed, did not constitute harassment either.

More details about Byrnes’ case may emerge when he appears in court, but if a public official did in fact direct the police department to arrest Byrnes because of his texts, that poses a clear threat to free speech. The Shrek image may be absurd, shocking, and hilarious (depending on your sense of humor), but being punished for exercising your free speech right to criticize and troll (or ogre) public officials is no laughing matter.

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Ohio State Senate Passes Bill to Put Voter ID Amendment on November Ballot – Trump Responds

The Ohio State Senate passed a bill last week, putting a constitutional amendment that would mandate voter ID in Ohio elections on the November ballot.

President Trump responded to the bill’s passage, commending the Republican lawmakers behind the push, adding, “Democrats fought hard against this, presumably so they can CHEAT.”

This will prevent a future Democratic legislature from reversing the current law requiring voter ID by codifying it in the state’s constitution. However, it does not institute voter ID requirements for mail-in voters, leaving a massive loophole for mail-in ballot fraud.

According to a press release from the Ohio State Senate,

The Ohio Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 10, Sponsored by State Senator Jane Timken (R-Jackson Township) and State Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green), which would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to enshrine Ohio’s Voter ID laws in the state’s Constitution.

“With AI being easily able to generate items like utility bills and bank statements, it is essential to constitutionally protect voter photo-ID requirements,” said Senator Timken. “This resolution ensures that it is easy to vote but hard to cheat.”

Section 1 A of the legislation states: ” Electors shall provide identification in order to vote, in accordance with laws passed by the General Assembly.” Among the approved forms of photo ID are:

  • A driver’s license or state ID card issues by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
  • A United States passport or passport card.
  • A United States military identification card.
  • An Ohio National Guard card.
  • An identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans affairs.

The resolution also allows the General Assembly to authorize other forms of photo identification not specified in the resolution, ensuring that Ohio’s elections will remain secure as technology advances.

“Voter photo-ID requirements are widely supported by Americans,” said Senator Gavarone. “Yet in states all around the country, these election protections are being repealed. This joint resolution will allow the people of Ohio to ingrain this important election-integrity measure in our state’s constitution.”

Upon passage by the Ohio House, the proposed amendment will be place on the November ballot, requiring a simple majority vote to go into effect.

Democrats in Ohio claimed that Republicans only seek to boost voter turnout in the midterms. “They think this is going to get their voters out to vote. I think that they’re wrong,” State Senator Bill Demora said, decrying the bill as “purely political.”

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Violent Teen Takeover, Brawls Shut Down Church Fundraiser in Columbus, Ohio – 11 Arrested for Fighting, Theft, and Vandalism

Nearly a dozen arrests were made on Friday during a fundraising festival for St. Catharine Catholic Church near the Columbus, Ohio, suburb of Bexley, after a teen takeover event led to multiple fights. 

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther condemned the behavior in a statement, saying, “Our neighborhood events should be welcoming places for residents and families to come together, and this behavior is unacceptable.”

Additionally, “a few businesses reported criminal mischief during the period,” Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler said.

Video from the teen takeover shows the chaotic scene with two females fighting as a mob surrounds them, cheering the brawl on with cameras. Police intervened and separated the two youths.

One young black female said, “Ss a teen, I am really embarrassed that you guys are out here acting like this.” She continued, “We came out here to have fun. We can never do anything right. You guys always act up, and this is completely embarrassing.”

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Ohio State University Reaches $100 Million Settlement With Nearly 300 Sex Abuse Survivors

Ohio State University has reached a $100 million settlement with nearly 300 former students who had accused the school’s campus doctor of sexually assaulting them decades ago, the school and a lawyer for the victims said on Wednesday.

The settlement with 279 of the 280 former students was ratified by the university’s board on Wednesday. It followed years of litigation over accusations of decades of abuse by Richard Strauss.

The abuse occurred from 1978 to 1998, the year he retired from the faculty.

“The mediation and its confidentiality are continuing as the parties work to finalize the details of the settlements, and additional information will be shared as appropriate,” the school and a lawyer for the victims said in a joint statement.

In February, the university reached eight additional settlements, bringing the total to 304 survivors and more than $60 million.

Strauss, who killed himself in 2005, was employed by Ohio State’s athletic department and medical staff for nearly two decades.

A 2019 report detailing the investigative findings said that Strauss had sexually abused at least 177 men, nearly all of whom were students, and that university staff who knew of the abuse failed to act. The abuse included groping and fondling of the students’ genitals and other acts under the guise of a medical examination.

News of the investigation and its findings prompted more than 500 plaintiffs to sue Ohio State, alleging they had been sexually abused by Strauss and that the school had shown deliberate indifference.

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Ohio allows child marriage. Some lawmakers are OK with that

Some Republican state senators blocked a bill that would have closed a loophole that allows teens to marry at age 17, which means Ohio might remain among states that permit child marriage.

“All I know is some people in the Republican caucus think it’s OK to have child marriage,” said state Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, who is co-sponsoring the bill with Sen. Bill Blessing, R-Colerain Twp.

The bill calls for raising the marriage age to 18 and older for all parties.

Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee planned to vote on Senate Bill 341 but senators pulled it off the agenda, along with other pending bills. This week, SB341 isn’t on the committee agenda.

Blessing declined to comment but the bill came off the committee voting agenda after Republican senators held a private caucus meeting.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, said advocates will meet with senators to explain why changing the law is needed.

Senate President Rob McColley, who is running for lieutenant governor with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, said even straightforward issues sometimes need further exploration. “We’ve still got time left in this legislative session.” 

Fraidy Reiss, founder of Unchained At Last, a national organization seeking to end forced and child marriage, said she doesn’t know who in the senate is holding up a bill that had no opposition and would end an abusive practice that harms children.

“It is shameful. It is a slap in the face to girls in Ohio,” she said.

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Rep. Brandon Gill Vows Accountability as Oversight Committee Task Force Launches Investigation into BILLIONS of Dollars in Ohio Medicaid Fraud

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) announced last week that his team on the House Oversight Committee is going to tear a newly uncovered Ohio-based Medicaid fraud scheme down “piece by piece.” 

Gill was tapped this month to chair the Oversight Committee’s new Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses, where he’s planning to uncover billions of dollars in fraud.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars of your tax money is being wasted in an Ohio Medicaid scheme that we’re uncovering on the House Oversight Committee. We believe this scheme stretches into the billions of dollars,” Gill said in a clip shared on X on Friday. “The Ohio Medicaid Agency had years to figure this out. A reporter did it in just a couple months, and we’re building on their work.”

“We’re saving you taxpayer dollars, and we’re ending fraud on my task force at the House Oversight Committee,” he added.

“Fraudsters stole hundreds of millions of your tax dollars through an Ohio Medicaid scandal. My GOP Oversight Task Force is pulling this scheme apart piece by piece,” Gill wrote on X.

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Ohio Officials Who Excluded Christian Group From Foster Care System Forced to Pay Massive Sum

Officials in Montgomery County, Ohio, agreed to a more than $120,000 settlement after reversing a decision to exclude a Christian organization from the foster care system.

Gracehaven, which assists young people rescued from sex trafficking, filed a lawsuit in 2024 accusing the county of barring them from “a public program and benefit for which it is otherwise qualified.”

The decision was “based solely on the ministry’s commitment to hire only employees who share and adhere to its religious beliefs,” according to a May 12 release from the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Montgomery County had previously contracted with Gracehaven for years, reimbursing the ministry with public funds in exchange for their care services.

But they “suddenly decided to exclude” Gracehaven after the organization “told county officials that it was not waiving or surrendering its constitutionally protected freedom to employ those who share its faith.”

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio ruled last year that Gracehaven could not be excluded from the foster care program because of its policy to only hire employees aligned on faith.

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House Oversight Officially Launches Full-Blown Investigation Into Massive Ohio Medicaid Fraud Scheme Allegedly Tied to Somali Networks — Rep. Brandon Gill: “Billions of Dollars” Stolen From Taxpayers

The House Oversight Committee is officially turning up the heat on what could become one of the largest Medicaid fraud scandals in American history.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer and Rep. Brandon Gill have launched a sweeping federal investigation into alleged rampant abuse of Ohio’s Medicaid system after explosive reports revealed suspicious billing patterns centered around two ZIP codes near Columbus, Ohio, an area home to one of the largest Somali populations in the United States.

According to reports cited by House Republicans, a state audit found that Franklin County, home to just 11.5% of Ohio’s population, accounted for roughly 38% to 40% of the $1.6 billion spent statewide, with nearly 40% of that amount flowing to just two neighboring ZIP codes, totaling approximately $240 million.

Auditors also identified a 15.6% error rate in eligibility determinations, raising concerns that improper payments could range from $800 million to as much as $4 billion.

Additional reporting uncovered nearly vacant office buildings allegedly housing hundreds of billing companies. Ohio officials have since brought charges against some providers and maintain that safeguards are in place, while both state investigators and a federal task force continue to examine the potential fraud.

The Oversight Committee announced a brand-new task force specifically aimed at exposing institutional abuses, fraud, and misuse of taxpayer-funded social welfare programs, with Gill tapped to lead the charge.

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Massive Health Care Fraud Ignored as Billions Drained From Ohio Taxpayers

Mehek Cooke, senior national security and legal analyst at The Daily Signal, warned that the growing fraud scandal in Ohio is not an isolated case but part of a systemic failure across welfare programs nationwide.

Appearing on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” Thursday, Cooke said she discovered widespread health care fraud last December that is allegedly draining billions in taxpayer dollars. She brought this evidence to government officials, but many failed to take it seriously.

“This was the tip of the spear,” Cooke said of Ohio, pointing to similar fraud cases in other states. “Any time you have a welfare program, there’s going to be fraud because government is so complacent.”

Cooke described her firsthand efforts to investigate suspicious activity in Ohio’s home health care system, including making door-to-door inquiries in areas receiving significant taxpayer funding in Franklin County. Several whistleblowers alerted Cooke in December to alleged home health care fraud in Ohio, claiming that patients were entering doctors’ offices, claiming they needed home health care services. Upon evaluation, providers determined that they did not qualify for those services, but some of these individuals then threatened that if the paperwork was not rubber-stamped, they would return to providers who would approve it.

After receiving this information, Cooke said she brought the alleged fraud to the Ohio attorney general’s office and the Department of Medicaid.

Cooke also visited close to 100 home health care offices. What she found raised serious concerns about whether services were being legitimately provided.

“So, when you knock on doors, most of these people are in the Somalian community. They don’t speak English, so I’m wondering how they’re even providing services,” Cooke said. “It’s hidden behind closed doors.”

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Meet The Convicted Fraudster Running A Million Dollar Medicaid Business

After the federal government approved a waiver allowing Ohio to expand Medicaid by paying housekeepers to spend time at elderly people’s houses to help with tasks like “homemaking” and “chore services,” taxpayers across the country footed a shocking $2.5 billion worth of bills between 2018 and 2024, according to a trove of Medicaid data released for the first time by the Trump administration.

The demand for free home care was so high in Ohio that taxpayers spent more on that “personal services” category, Medicaid’s term for non-medical in-home help, than any other outpatient service. The program allows for people who aren’t medical professionals to get paid by the government for work done inside private residences, where what was performed, and even whether anything was done, is essentially unverifiable.

The state’s largest outpatient Medicaid category therefore relies on trust. So who’s facilitating payments from the government?

The Daily Wire spent weeks analyzing the Medicaid data released by the Trump administration as part of its effort to weed out wasteful government spending. I went to Ohio, and found clusters of home healthcare providers that bill the government millions of dollars in desolate buildings filled with empty offices.

At 1415 East Dublin Granville Road, one of the Columbus buildings we visited in our investigation, we found True Home Healthcare LLC.

All that appeared on its door was a tattered piece of printer paper that read, “SORRY WE MISSED YOU, OUT FOR A QUICK BREAK.”

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