Scioto County’s top economic development official just got slapped with a staggering 15-count indictment in a scandal that’s rocking local government!
On Valentine’s Day, the Scioto County Grand Jury delivered a shocking blow, indicting Robert Horton, the county’s Economic Development Director and head of the Southern Ohio Port Authority (SOPA), along with his wife, Lioubov Horton, on a slew of corruption charges.
The charges against Robert Horton include theft in office, aggravated theft, money laundering, bribery, and tampering with public records. Meanwhile, Lioubov Horton faces 12 charges, including telecommunications fraud and tampering with evidence.
Read the Full Horton Indictment HERE
According to the indictment, the Hortons, along with three unidentified co-conspirators, allegedly set up a sham business to siphon money from SOPA and the Minford Emergency Ambulance Service. Prosecutors say Horton masked bribes as commissions for his wife and later falsified records and ordered businesses to destroy documents when the Ohio State Auditor’s Office started sniffing around.
A SCANDAL MONTHS IN THE MAKING
Horton’s shady dealings have been clouding Scioto County politics for months. Just four months ago, county commissioners placed him on paid administrative leave after state investigators raided his office and seized records. But in a move that now seems even more baffling, Commissioners Cathy Coleman and Bryan Davis pushed to reinstate him despite strong objections from Commissioner Scottie Powell, who called the decision “wild” and “bizarre.”
Commissioner Bryan Davis, meanwhile, dismissed the entire investigation as a “witch hunt,” arguing that Horton needed to stay in his Port Authority role to keep economic development projects moving. Well, that decision didn’t age well!
MORE INDICTMENTS COMING?
While Horton and his wife now face the music, sources tell us that more indictments are on the way as investigators dig deeper into this tangled web of corruption.
With millions of taxpayer dollars at stake, Scioto County residents are left wondering: Who else is involved? How deep does this scandal go? And why was Horton allowed to stay in power for so long?
Stay tuned—this is just the beginning!
