Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation are at Rosenberger’s house in Clarksville and at a storage facility in Wilmington this morning.
RELATED: FBI agents are at former Ohio House speaker Rosenberger's house and a storage unit
Just 33 years old when he took the speaker’s gavel, Rosenberger quickly embraced the job and its perks: a spacious office, an energetic staff, the opportunity to wield power and a chance to travel far beyond the confines of his small town roots.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
Since taking over as speaker, two campaign funds — one for Rosenberger and one for the House GOP caucus — have spent more than $310,000 on food, catering and drinks, $150,000 on lodging, travel and car rentals, and $70,000 on flowers and gifts. He spent more than $30,000 on “challenge coins” — give away trinkets inscribed with his signature and the state seal.
State records show Rosenberger traveled to China, France, Israel and London as well as from Los Angeles to Boston. Between 2010 and 2016, Rosenberger reported $36,924 in travel paid by the state or other entities.
It did not go unnoticed.
This newspaper broke a story in February 2017 that Rosenberger rented a 2,237-square-foot luxury condo in downtown Columbus owned by Ginni Ragan, an heiress who has contributed more than $1.5 million to Ohio Republican campaigns since 2010.
This newspaper followed up with stories about how Rosenberger’s former aide, Hunter Wright, obtained a $209,354 mortgage from Ragan in April 2016 and about how Rosenberger reported in April 2016 that he owes Ragan money for back rent.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has a public corruption team based in Columbus, noticed too. Rosenberger told this newspaper that he hired criminal defense attorney David Axelrod because he heard that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was asking questions about his activities.
Rosenberger said in a written statement: “First and foremost, I believe that all of my actions as speaker have been both ethical and lawful.”
First speaker to resign in more than 50 years
In late April, under the cloud of a federal investigation, Rosenberger abruptly announced he is resigning — the first Ohio House speaker to resign since Roger Cloud left to become state auditor in 1965.
The FBI declined at the time to confirm or deny any investigation but sources familiar with the inquiry say the bureau is looking into a four-day trip the Clarksville Republican took to London in August. Also on the trip were representatives from the payday lending industry, which has been working to stall or water down legislation that would impose strict limits.
Rosenberger’s official calendar — released through a public records request — omits mention of the London trip, except for driving directions for a tour of Longcross Film Studios in Surrey scheduled for Aug. 30.
The four-day trip was sponsored by GOPAC, an organization based in Virginia that works to elect Republicans in higher office. Jessica Curtis, the executive director of GOPAC, confirmed the group’s Institute for Leadership Development sponsored the trip in late August.
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