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Documents Show FBI Investigating Former House Speaker Rosenberger For Bribery, Illegal Kickbacks

This photo, featuring former House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger (third from left) in London, was posted to Leslie Gaines' Facebook account in August 2017.
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This photo, featuring former House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger (third from left) in London, was posted to Leslie Gaines' Facebook account in August 2017.

A lot more is coming out about what the FBI was looking for earlier this spring related to an investigation into former House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger’s travel. A search warrant and subpoena shows what the Ohio House turned over to investigators the day after the FBI raided Rosenberger’s home and a storage unit in Wilmington.

Investigators wanted three boxes and a thumb drive that they say contain records on Rosenberger, Carol Stewart with payday lender Advance America, and Stephen Dimon, Jr. and Leslie Gaines, who are industry lobbyists. The warrant says those records include communications – quote – concerning payday lending legislation” and “evidence of payments, kickbacks, bribes or other benefits, such as payment of travel-related expenses”. Those items plus a box of sport coats and a jacket were turned over by Ohio House legal counsel on May 23. Rosenberger has denied he did anything wrong. The state’s new payday lending law passed the House less than a month after Rosenberger resigned April 10.

A list of items removed from the former Speaker's Riffe office and his ceremonial Statehouse office is here.

Copyright 2018 The Statehouse News Bureau

Contact Karen at 614/578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.