Prosecution

The Attorney General's Office assists local prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to prosecute crime.

The Special Prosecutions Unit is composed of career prosecutors who, at the request of county prosecutors, prosecute serious felony crimes throughout Ohio.  The unit may be appointed by the court to serve as a special prosecutor when the county prosecutor has a conflict of interest or may assist a county prosecutor when he requests additional resources.  Areas of focus include homicides, child sex offenses, white collar crime, and alleged wrongdoing by public officials.

The Capital Crimes Unit works to uphold lawfully imposed death sentences.  This generally includes many years of litigation in the federal courts opposing challenges brought by inmates who claim that their death sentences were improper.  The Unit provides assistance to county prosecutors at the trial level in death penalty cases, when requested, and also participates with the county prosecutor in responding to clemency requests prior to execution.

The Habeas Unit works to keep dangerous criminals in prison by opposing litigation brought by inmates who seek to overturn valid convictions and prison sentences.

The Health Care Fraud Section is composed of two units: the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of health care providers accused of defrauding the state’s Medicaid program. In addition, this unit enforces Ohio’s Patient Abuse and Neglect Law, which protects the mentally and physically disabled and the elderly from exploitation and abuse in Ohio’s long-term care facilities. The Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit is responsible for prosecuting claimants and health care providers who defraud the Ohio Workers’ Compensation Program.

The Antitrust Section investigates and prosecutes civil and criminal antitrust violations in order to protect a free and fair marketplace for the state of Ohio and its citizens.