Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann ran a vulgar and unprofessional office and misused campaign funds to make lavish payments to friends and family, the state's government watchdog said Monday in releasing the results of a six-month investigation.
Dann resigned in May amid a sexual harassment scandal involving an aide.
Among other findings in the report, Dann:
- Ballooned the size of the office's fleet of cars by buying 99 additional vehicles at a cost of $1.9 million and doling out some of the cars as perks to senior managers.
- Provided BlackBerry communication devices to virtually anyone in the office who wanted them — and in some cases to people who didn't request them and didn't use them — at a monthly cost of $30,000.
- Used state-owned airplanes 16 times, including ordering pilots to pick him up at his Youngstown home or drop him off at a cost to taxpayers of $8,175.
The report also said Dann used his campaign fund to buy food, beverages, snacks, newspapers and other items virtually every day he was in office, racking up $31,474 in expenses.
Soon after his election in 2006, Dann also set up a unique "transition account" to benefit himself and his associates, and to get around the campaign finance laws that govern typical campaign accounts, the report concluded.
Inspector Tom Charles said he was forwarding the report to Columbus and Franklin County prosecutors, the Internal Revenue Service and the Ohio Department of Taxation, among other entities.
Click here to view the complete report.
