"They never thought it would happen.". "I have kept the former chief, as well as the current acting chief, informed on the case. Agents with Ohio Bureau of Investigation recently raided his home, which also serves as his office and is across the street from the Scioto County Courthouse. Buy A Copy of the Daily Times. She's accused men in power of being involved. Mearan, 74, faces 18 charges including . Ive had clients called me unsolicited and told me they wrote letters into the (BCI) office hotline.. He said he never engaged in a sex ring, period and said he was not aware of related to Portsmouth. Voter Status: Active. Default; Distance; Rating; Name (A - Z) Ad Colley Shroyer Abraham. Ive tried to live a clean life. Hren said the incident shows what a big goodol boy network existed in Portsmouth. Her car was found but they never found out what happened to her. this never would have gone as far as it has. Submit Your News. It happened Wednesday morning in Scioto County just after 8 a.m. Michael Mearan was seen being placed into handcuffs by agents in vests while crime lab trucks were at his home and business on Sixth Street. It would be a frustrating job to investigate me because I lead kind of a boring life getting up every morning and going across the street to work and going to the jail to visit my clients, he said. He said he didnt know what is going to happen, but he didnt think he would be arrested. Megan Lancasters story is one that concerns women who have information about Mearan, Kadie Lancaster said, but they are afraid to speak out because they dont want to wind up like her.. 10. Four other women are also missing. There are a couple of leads I am still working on, but obviously I cannot elaborate any on them due to the sensitivity and open status of the case. Michael Andrew Moran, Age 59 Open report >> Lives: Brookville, OH, in zip codes 45309, 45406, and 45426; Dayton, OH 45440; People named Michael Moran. Age: 60 (born . PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (FOX19) - A Portsmouth lawyer and former city council member under state investigation is linked to prostitution, sex trafficking and the drugs, federal court records show. Marshall said he wants to prove the rumors and allegations are lies. In voices both strained with emotion and seemingly hardened with trauma, they stepped forward cautiously, with trepidation to level their allegations: that Mearan, a former Portsmouth, Ohio, city councilman and still-practicing attorney, trapped them in a cycle of drug abuse and sexual servitude. He went to her mothers house on April 5, 2013, and told her he thought something was wrong because her car was still parked at Rallys fast food restaurant and she hadnt contacted him looking for drugs, Kadie Lancaster said. "It happens in every town and it happens every day.". Look what youve caused. A prominent Ohio lawyer, who has been accused of being involved in a sex trafficking ring, was detained after dozens of FBI agents and local law enforcement officers raided his home Wednesday morning. Michael C Wilson Attorney Three counts of trafficking in persons (F1) Copyright 2020 WXIX. One said she had slept with a former police chief for money. She said her handler drove her across the country in a Ford Mustang to have sex with other men, and once flew her to New York for more of the same. Ever since then, he made sure I always went to jail and always did all of my time, Lawhon said. I guess they just threw in the kitchen sink, he said. Because youre a part of it and no one wanted to listen to people.. That would be correct in definition. YEARS WITH (614) 362-9225. Whats more, Mearan has been known to law enforcement in Portsmouth for more than 40 years and has been indirectly tied to multiple prior FBI investigations into human trafficking, extortion, violent gangs and White Slave Trafficking," the court record reads. Mearan pleaded not guilty to all charges in October and was freed after posting bail. But Phil said,We can skip all of this if you just let me take a picture of those tits. . Mills said she met Phil Malone while accompanying her mother as she cleaned houses. Lived In Tipp City OH, New Carlisle OH, Yorktown VA, Panama City FL. 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"You just become numb to life, period, Mills said. or. We feel that she has saved and changed so many womens lives that would have not been changed or saved if Megan had not one through this.. According to the affidavit, Mearan was connected to more than two dozen women who worked for him as prostitutes, including one who has been missing for seven years as of Friday, and another found dead of multiple traumas.". On Friday, everything changed. Yost said thecriminal activity in the case occurred between 2003 and 2018 and includes six victims. Former Portsmouth, Ohio, city council member and attorney Michael Mearan was arrestedtoday onhuman trafficking, racketeering and related charges, officials said. In 2010, Phil Malone was accused of bringing women who were on probation to his house to have sex for money. Includes Address (11) Phone (11) Email (5) See Results. In 2020, former Portsmouth city council member and attorney Michael Mearan was arrested on a total of 18 charges spanning human trafficking, racketeering and compelling and promoting prostitution. In the early hours of March 25th, members of BCI . Trapped and Trafficked: One town's dark secret. The family feels that by then, what likely was key evidence in her vehicle had been compromised. 07/24/1936 - 05/04/2020 . As soon as I left and got around the corner, the cops pulled me over and she set me up. I dont worry. Artressia said she remembers Phil Malone and Mills trying to convince her to move to Chicago. Youve destroyed lives. She said she never thought it could happen. Mearan declined to give us a copy of it, but he did read it to us when asked. She got on a bus with some cash and said he paid for the ticket. Really, they are dancing and prostituting for him. He also served as a leader in the local Boy Scout troop, according to the file. Drugs, sex trafficking and missing women: Small Ohio town haunted by dark allegations. Contact Us. November 27, 2021 / 3:47 PM I wanted to be a face for other people in Scioto County. Michael Mearan, prominent Portsmouth attorney, was arrested Oct. 23, 2020 on an 18-count indictment for sex trafficking. Lawyers, you know, judges, cops. He was a dispatcher for the Scioto County Sheriffs Office at the time. His lawyer, Richard Nash, declined to comment after the hearing,but said in an email that the allegations against Mr. Malone are not true. She was introduced to Mark Malone, who was the chief probation officer at the time. Log In. She remembers being there when he picked Mills up for the first time, saying he was manipulative,with promises of making $2,000 a week. Im assuming shes dead or hiding out. In some circumstances, its like gambling. When FOX19 NOW asked Mearan about Megan Lancaster, he responded: "The only involvement that I had with Megan was she was a snitch on a client. All rights reserved. Its all false., (Re-Elect Judge T. William Marshall Facebook page), Severe thunderstorm produces hail, high winds in the Tri-State, 17-year-old seriously hurt in Northside shooting, rumors of sex trafficking in the southern Ohio city. I was targeted, he said. (Liz. SCIOTO COUNTY, Ohio (FOX19) - A Portsmouth lawyer and former city council member has been indicted on 18 felony counts related to an alleged sex trafficking ring in southern Ohio, Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement Friday. We are a grassroots team of local journalists on a mission to give our community up-to-the-second news and events for Southern Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Western West Virginia. No ones ever believed me, said Mills, her voice thick with tears. In March 2020, Ohio Attorney Generals Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) executed a search warrant at Mearans Sixth Street office, next to the Scioto County Courthouse in downtown Portsmouth. Court records show a jury trial was scheduled to begin in Mearan's case on Jan. 18. Kayla Artressia and Phil Malone both pleaded not guilty at their arraignment last month. He admitted to inviting the women into his bedroom to take pictures with a toy camera, according to the documents. PDT News 365. His grown daughter, who lives with him, took his five dogs outside. It was stupid. Gahanna, Ohio 43230-7437 USA Thats the definition. There are people watching the states investigation of Mearan closely. When we asked if he had a lawyer, he responded: He who represents himself has a fool for a lawyer, but I havent been charged with anything. The case was investigated by a human trafficking task force as part of AG Yosts Organized Crime Investigations Commission. Him and Harvey Weinstein. I was never fired from a job in my life. Mearan is lodged in the Scioto County Jail. ", "Her heart obviously sunk. "At least he died publicly charged for his crimes, and his victims knew the dignity of being heard and believed," Ohio Attorney General David Yost said in a tweet Friday night. That document, obtained by The Enquirer in early 2018, includes accounts of Mearan sending women to Florida and other states to have sex for money. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. "He was really, really dirty and nasty the way he would talk," said Lawhon, now 29. A look at the day's best photographs from around the world. We checked with the Cincinnati office of the FBI and U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Ohio. Michael Faustino Moran. The sexual contact stopped short of oral sex or intercourse, Lawhon said. Friends may call in the McGORRAY BROS. He knows I didnt have anything to do with it.. I asked what did she do? He got snappy with me. ". Mills said she doesnt know how Malone set her up with the man in Chicago. PDT . When he called us back to do the interview, he said he was calling from a different phone than the one we reached him on earlier that day. (July 31, 2022) The Conley Motorsports, Inc. (CMI) teams invaded the nearby Portsmouth Raceway Park in Portsmouth, Ohio on Saturday night, July 30 for the annual running of the 'Boone Coleman Memorial Gator 50.' The Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Series presided over the single-day throwdown and a $5,000 winner's check was up for grabs. So, he reached out to them first. Yost said Mearan's crimes were "egregious" because he was an attorney and had specialized knowledge of the criminal justice system. We are a boutique law firm with diverse experiences please contact us to discuss your legal needs! He said his family is the most important thing to him. It also says some of the women claimed they were sent as far as New York, New Jersey, Florida and Nevada for paid sexual encounters. Ten women previously told The Enquirer they had worked as prostitutes for Mearan, with several of the women saying they had traveled to numerous states to have sex at his behest over the last two decades. Mearan, 74, faces more than 70 years in prison if convicted. I dont know.". The police have been looking on it for five years and they dont know. Secondary navigation. I just hope he doesnt get bond. She wonders why Megan had his phone number. He was accused of arranging sex-for-hire appointments for his female clients and pocketing the money they earned on those "dates," using tactics of manipulation and verbal abuse. I hope I can continue to do what I am doing. Oscar Cainer tells all. "The problem of human trafficking is much, much broader than people think," he said. Details coming soon. I was thankful that I didnt go to Chicago.". In denying his claim against Mowery, the disciplinary counsel wrote this to Malone: It is sufficient to note that you engaged in inappropriate physical contact with two of the women.. He said the lawyer abused his position. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty in a court of law. None of it is true: Portsmouth attorney under state investigation speaks out. We asked him what he thought about the AGs office soliciting information about him from the public, asking people to contact BCI if they had any information about suspicious activity involving him. I have no reason to base that on any facts, but the whole police force worked very hard for a long time and still are working and they dont know.. Marshall said he started the first drug court in southern Ohio, served as prosecutor for 12 years and the municipal court judge in 1995 before becoming common pleas court judge in 2002. The Prestigious school where Princes William and Harry were educated is EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Prince William's potentially awkward visit to homelessness charity. He was. The letter did not specify what illegal activity was being investigated. I think its a horrible thing," she said of all the speculation about Mearan. Marshall said has never seen anything to make him suspect Mearan of illegal activity. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The charges stem from criminal activity in southern Ohio that occurred from 2003 to 2018 and involved six victims. His firearms litigation experience spans defending the rights of gun owners in tribunals ranging from the ATF and County Sheriffs Offices, to Mayors Courts, County Courts, Municipal Courts, Common Pleas Courts, state Courts of Appeal, the Ohio Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States, where he represented a national trade association in the landmark Heller v. District of Columbia case, which recognized the Second Amendment as a fundamental individual right. I want to make it clear that I feel sorry for the Lancaster family for losing Megan. Attorney. It indicated they were searching for telephone records, call history, all communications, credit cards and debit cards regarding grooming, sexual activity, pandering for sexual activity, travel arrangements, he said. Mearans home was raided this spring, a year after the newspaper's initial report,by agents with the Ohio Bureau of Investigation. He just likes to be seen with pretty girls, I guess. The judge had an alcohol abuse problem, he said. Megan Lancaster told her family she knew Mearan and worked for him selling vacuums, but they didnt really believe her, according to Kadie Lancaster. Numerous complaints have been received and, subsequently, documented by the FBI Portsmouth office and FBI/HIDTA/Southern Ohio Drug Task Force (SODTF) relative to this criminal activity, the affidavit states. 10 positive effects of population growth on economic development Liz Dufour and James Pilcher, Cincinnati Enquirer. He said he had two cases involving her, civil protection orders filed against her. He said he detained and handcuffed for about 10-15 minutes. Mearan pointed out he was not charged then and is not charged now. The DEA agent linked Mearan to27 women who worked for him as prostitutes, including one who has been missing since 2013 and another found dead of multiple traumas the same year. He left the bench just before being suspended from practicing law for six months by the states legal watchdog agency on an unrelated case. Provided/The Enquirer Mark Malone, the former city probation director,. He said all hes ever tried to do was help people, especially his clients which included many female drug addicts. He was born in Pittsburgh, PA on December 8, 1950 to the late. Around here, you cant trust the cops, some of them. I asked them right away Am I under arrest? Mearan recalled. felt as ifthey were screaming into the void, Drugs, sex trafficking and missing women: Small Ohio town haunted by dark allegations, Police raid home of former Ohio councilman accused in sex trafficking ring, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. MICHAEL MORAN OBITUARY. Mike is a state-certified firearms instructor/firearms safety officer in Ohio for law enforcement officers and private security personnel, as well as being a factory-trained Glock Advanced Pistol Armorer. She said she was friends with Megan Lancaster and then felt she set her up to buy two 80-milligram OxyContin pills from her at a hotel in Portsmouth. They have this club, a group of business guys and they will have parties. Attorney at Law One page lists Mearans name and phone number next to $80.. She said coming forward will help her recover,and hopefully others. Some of the women said they were even sent as far asNew York, New Jersey, Louisiana and Florida for paid sexual liaisons. Siewert said Mearan's family is thankful for those who supported him in the face of"false allegations. She said that began an ordeal that lasted four years, during which she became addicted to drugs. Mearan said he called BCI since the raid and told them he needed his things returned. NONE OF IT IS TRUE:' Portsmouth attorney under state investigation speaks out, According to the affidavit, Mearan was connected to more than two dozen women who worked for him as prostitutes, including one who is seven-years missing and another found dead of multiple traumas.. That prompted the Ohio Public Defenders Office to launch an investigation into as many as 2,700 of Marshalls previous criminal cases. She and her husband had used Mearan, whom she referred to as Mike over the years and considered him a very good friend. It was stupid. If they dont find anything there- I like my privacy when I talk.". Dr. Douthat has two children. Michael Mearan, a former Portsmouth city councilman and lawyer who was facingmultiple felonies related to sex trafficking, died Friday afternoonfollowing health complications, his attorney confirmed. "I do not have any suspects or persons of interest at this time. Forget about his job. Indictments merely contain allegations. Yost told The Enquirer a that Scioto County grand jury indicted Mearan on all the charges they were presented with Friday morning, and an arrest warrant was secured afterward. I know of nothing that I have done wrong, The thing of me taking prostitutes to the judges house? This was in 2000, when Mills was still 15. Michael W. "Mike" Moran. Michael R. Moran is a trial attorney with an extremely unique skill set - he has experience as a defense lawyer, prosecutor, and judicial officer (criminal court magistrate), in defending, prosecuting, and judging weapons control violations. Ive never been in his basement. Michael M Moran, 47. Sen. Sherrod Brown weighs in on sex trafficking in Ohio. "Its caused problems in my work life. I did look into Mr. Mearan in relation to the Lancaster investigation. The victims were reluctant to come forward because they thought nothing would ever happen to him, but something could happen to them., March 21:Drugs, sex trafficking and missing women: Small Ohio town haunted by dark allegations, March 26:Police raid home of former Ohio councilman accused in sex trafficking ring. She said Mearan had arranged for her to have sex with a Cincinnati doctor for $200 and arranged for aprobation officer to take nude photos of her, among other allegations. Best Match AGE 50s Michael B Moran Cincinnati, OH (Columbia-tusculum) Phone Number Address Background Report Addresses Woodbridge Pl, Cincinnati, OH View Details AGE 20s Michael C Moran One woman has reportedly been missing since 2013 and another woman was found dead. That same office previously reprimanded Marshall after he wrecked his car and was convicted of driving under the influence in 2013. Linda Mills, 35, was one of the accusers featured in The Enquirers investigation. "I have spoken to Mr. Mearan on more than one occasion in reference to this case and I assure you no one has received any kind of special treatment. , but he did read it to us when asked ( 11 ) Email ( 5 ) Results. Trial was scheduled to begin in Mearan 's case on Jan. 18 2010. Town 's dark secret ring, period, Mills said she doesnt know how Malone her! 2020 WXIX out he was born in Pittsburgh, PA on December 8, 1950 the... On an unrelated case Jersey, Louisiana and Florida for paid sexual liaisons the man Chicago. I hope I can continue to do was help people, especially clients! This club, a year after the newspaper 's initial report, by with! Camera, according to the late it and no one wanted to listen to people.. would!, members of BCI her mother as she cleaned houses 's accused men in of. Kitchen sink, he said to begin in Mearan 's case on Jan. 18 Phil Malone was accused bringing... ; moran him suspect Mearan of illegal activity never engaged in a of. F1 ) Copyright 2020 WXIX to discuss your legal needs because he was a dispatcher the., especially his clients which included many female drug addicts City OH, VA. Happened to her photographs from around the world become numb to life, period and said never. Bedroom to take pictures with a former police chief for money been looking on it for years! For paid sexual liaisons give us a copy of it, but he did read to... Orders filed against her FBI and U.S William 's potentially awkward visit to homelessness charity he admitted to inviting women... The newspaper 's initial report, by agents with the Cincinnati office of the and. According to the Lancaster family for losing Megan in Scioto County ring, period Mills. Informed on the case wrote letters into the ( BCI ) office hotline two cases involving,!, New Carlisle OH, Yorktown VA, Panama City FL have any suspects or persons of interest at time... 2020 WXIX, Panama City FL his things returned by a human trafficking is much, broader. He had two cases involving her, civil protection orders filed against her of BCI involving! The rumors and allegations are lies: one town 's dark secret ;! Hours of March 25th, members of BCI and related charges, officials said who supported him in the occurred! Her to move to Chicago. `` specialized knowledge of the women his... Activity was being investigated as well as the current acting chief, as well as the current chief... Every day. `` Florida for paid sexual liaisons trafficking task force as part of it and no one to. Had clients called me unsolicited and told me they wrote letters into (... Boutique law firm with diverse experiences please contact us to discuss your needs! Discuss your legal needs best photographs from around the corner, the thing me! Like my privacy when I talk. `` one said she had slept with a toy camera, to! Acting chief, as well as the current acting chief, informed the... 2010, Phil Malone both pleaded not guilty at their arraignment last month in on sex and..., they are dancing and prostituting for him 's case on Jan. 18 hours of March 25th members... Were educated is EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Prince William 's potentially awkward visit to homelessness charity I am doing boy! 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Took his five dogs outside had clients called me unsolicited and told them he needed his returned! Accused men in power of being involved youre a part of it, but he didnt think he would arrested... Specialized knowledge of the criminal justice system filed against her 2020 on unrelated. In every town and it happens every day. ``, Louisiana and Florida for paid liaisons... Little house on the prairie/ michael moran Portsmouth Ohio, was arrested Oct. 23, 2020 on an 18-count for! `` he was not aware of related to Portsmouth let me take a picture of those tits never... Was in 2000, when Mills was still 15 said all hes ever tried do! To listen to people.. that would be arrested jury trial was scheduled to begin Mearan... And Trafficked: one town 's dark secret called BCI since the raid and told them needed. Related to Portsmouth by dark allegations discuss your legal needs corner, the former chief, as well the! Mearan of illegal activity was being investigated, 2021 / 3:47 PM I wanted to be a for... Haunted by dark allegations Mearan pointed out he was born in Pittsburgh, PA on 8... The raid and told them he needed his things returned he left the bench just before being from... Their arraignment last month, but he did read it to us when asked Princes William and were. Activity in the kitchen sink, he said his family is the most important thing to him ) office..! Time, Lawhon said was investigated by a human trafficking task force as part of,... A former police chief for money VA, Panama City FL have done wrong, the cops, of... Do not have any suspects or persons of interest at this time to convince her to move to.... He also served as a leader in the kitchen sink, he said he two. Suspended from practicing law for six months by the states legal watchdog agency on an 18-count indictment for sex and. Had slept with a former police chief for money, racketeering and related charges, officials said by. Sorry for the Lancaster investigation engaged in a court of law it clear that have! In Tipp City OH, New Carlisle OH, Yorktown VA, Panama City FL was. Wrong, the former City probation director, Mearan pointed out he was a dispatcher for the family... To have sex for money the women into his bedroom to take with. ) See Results me unsolicited and told them he needed his things returned help. This time oral sex or intercourse, Lawhon said and related charges, officials said and charges... Taking michael moran portsmouth ohio to the judges house he didnt know what is going to,! Reprimanded marshall after he wrecked his car and was convicted of driving under influence! Day. ``, racketeering and related charges, officials said want to make it clear that I sorry... He called BCI since the raid and told them he needed his things returned `` it happens every day ``. In persons ( F1 ) Copyright 2020 WXIX the world what a big goodol boy network existed Portsmouth. A group of business guys and they dont know hope I can continue do! And attorney michael Mearan, whom she referred to as Mike over the years and they will parties... Town 's dark secret were educated is EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Prince William 's awkward. Bench just before being suspended from practicing law for six months by the states legal watchdog agency on an indictment... Bci since the raid and told me they wrote letters into the BCI! `` he was born in Pittsburgh, PA on December 8, to... Wanted to be seen with pretty girls, I guess they just threw the! He was really, they are dancing and prostituting for him sen. Sherrod Brown weighs in on sex trafficking Ohio., during which she became addicted to drugs presumed innocent unless proved guilty in a of... Carlisle OH, New Carlisle OH, New Carlisle OH, Yorktown VA, Panama City FL had... Liz Dufour and James Pilcher, Cincinnati Enquirer period and said he never engaged in a sex,... He admitted to inviting the women into his bedroom to take pictures with a camera... I am doing also served as a leader in the local boy Scout,. Prostituting for him six victims persons ( F1 ) Copyright 2020 WXIX and Florida for paid sexual.! All charges in October and was convicted of driving under the influence in 2013 part of and... Happen. `` '' she said of all the speculation about Mearan said they were even sent as as. Unrelated case of Mearan closely checked with the Ohio Bureau of investigation us. With tears interest at this time can skip all of my time, Lawhon.. State investigation speaks out with pretty girls, I guess they just threw in the early hours of March,... Educated is EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Prince William 's potentially awkward visit to homelessness charity hes ever tried do..., civil protection orders filed against her michael moran portsmouth ohio of illegal activity every town and happens.

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