The Mike Mearan human trafficking scandal has shaken Southern Ohio, and new investigative records show that Mearan wasn’t the only powerful figure accused of exploiting vulnerable women. Among the names is longtime Portsmouth attorney and former city councilman Gene Meadows, now at the center of explosive allegations.
For more than 30 years, Gene Meadows practiced law in Scioto County. He also served on Portsmouth City Council, building the kind of local reputation that suggested trust and authority. But investigative records tied to disgraced attorney Mike Mearan paint a very different picture.
Victim Testimony
According to Victim A, she was introduced to Meadows by Mearan around 2005. She told investigators she had multiple sexual encounters with Meadows, charging him $200 per encounter. Sometimes, she said, she accepted payment not in cash but in the form of waived legal fees and court costs.
Victim A explained that while incarcerated in 2013, Meadows represented her — though not as her court-appointed attorney — and that he provided legal services without charging her in exchange for sex. Other women, identified as Victims D, E, F, and G, were also allegedly brought into these encounters.
Victim B reported a similar experience, telling officers that Meadows offered her $20 for sex. She confirmed she was introduced to Meadows by Mearan and that the encounters blurred the line between legal help and sexual exploitation.
Most troubling of all: Victim A claimed she stopped seeing Meadows because he began pursuing “Victim C,” who was underage at the time.
A System of Exploitation
The accounts suggest a pattern in which women who were already vulnerable — often incarcerated or facing charges — were coerced into sexual relationships with Meadows, facilitated by Mearan. What Meadows provided in return was not just money, but legal protection: dropped fees, reduced costs, and the promise of help in court.
This wasn’t simply prostitution. It was a system of exploitation, one that blurred professional boundaries and preyed on the desperate.
Craycraft’s Crusade
Scioto County Daily News publisher Mark Craycraft has been calling out these allegations for years. In a recent video, he said naming Meadows publicly is just the beginning:
“I am committed to bringing justice for the victims and sending a strong message to the community that this scourge of human trafficking must be eliminated from our future. Those in power, those that use that power to damage people, don’t just injure the person — they affect their generational lines.”
Craycraft emphasized that this scandal isn’t just about past crimes. It’s about the culture of silence that let men like Meadows operate for decades while victims were dismissed or ignored.
What’s Next?
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost confirmed in September 2025 that the Mearan investigation remains open, even after Mearan’s death. While statutes of limitation may protect some alleged offenders, officials stressed that charges are still possible in cases involving minors.
Craycraft says that’s why it’s crucial for victims to come forward now: “Only in the sunlight can the flowers bloom. You’ve been in the dark for far too long.”
Why It Matters
The naming of Gene Meadows is more than just one man’s story. It’s a reminder that trafficking in Southern Ohio wasn’t sustained by street-level crime alone — it was allegedly protected and participated in by those in power.
For Meadows, the allegations strike at the core of what the justice system is supposed to represent. Instead of defending the vulnerable, he is accused of using his position to exploit them.
And for the community, it raises the question: How many other men like him are still protected by silence?
