Dann Disciple Charged

NBC 4: A top aide to former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann was charged on 10 counts Thursday. Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced the charges against Anthony Gutierrez at a 2 p.m. press conference.

The charges include one count of theft in office, two counts of unauthorized use of property, two counts of receiving improper compensation, one count of prohibited election activities, one count of filing a false statement and three counts of worker’s compensation fraud. Gutierrez, 50, faces six felonies, as much as eight years in custody and $19,000 in fines.

Gutierrez allegedly used state equipment and employees to operate his construction business on state time. It was also alleged he received extra compensation in the form of rent and utilities at both a Dublin condo and a Victorian Village residence.

Gutierrez is also accused of underreporting the number of employees at his company to avoid paying premiums. O’Brien said the investigation is not complete and others could be charged. He would not comment on names. “He has, I would say, to date cooperated with the investigation and for that reason, we will not request that a bond be set such that would keep him in confinement. So I expect him and his lawyer to surrender on Monday,“ O’Brien said.

Gutierrez was the central figure in a pair of sexual harassment complaints by two female employees of Dann’s office that ultimately resulted in Dann’s resignation in May 2008. Gutierrez was fired in May 2008 after an internal investigation concluded he violated the office’s sexual harassment policy.

Dann, a Democrat, later resigned and admitted that he had an extramarital affair with an employee. He was elected in 2006 on an anti-corruption platform. Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of Dann’s resignation.