Art Schlichter Charged In Theft, Surrenders At Prosecutor’s Office

Posted on 2/15/2011

Defendant: Art Schlichter

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced that Art Schlichter has been charged with Theft from an elderly person in an amount exceeding One Million Dollars, a first degree felony under Ohio law, which is punishable by a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment and a $20,000 fine.

A complaint was filed in the Franklin County Municipal Court this morning by Detective Scott Davis, Dublin, Ohio Police Department, that charged Schlichter with theft by deception. Davis’s charge alleges that between 2009 and November 2010  Schlichter obtained in excess of One Million Dollars from Anita L. Barney in the form of cash, checks, and credit card charges under circumstances where the various forms of property were obtained by misrepresentation of material facts regarding the purpose of the transaction. At age 68 Barney is an elderly person as defined in Ohio law, which increases the potential penalties for the theft.

Davis requested an arrest warrant, which was issued by the Clerk of Courts.

Schlichter voluntarily surrendered on that arrest warrant at O’Brien’s office with his attorney, Sam Shamansky.

Shamansky surrendered Schlichter with an offer to cooperate with the continuing investigation of investments, loans, or sale of Ohio State football tickets and 2011 Super Bowl tickets that is being conducted by Dublin police and O’Brien’s office.

As a result, after his surrender Schlichter met with state and federal law enforcement officials for several hours in O’Brien’s office before being taken to the Franklin County jail to be slated on the Barney theft charge.

Schlichter likely will remain in custody until his case is considered by the Franklin County Grand Jury because he is on probation for similar offenses in Marion County, Indiana (Indianapolis). O’Brien expects Marion County to put a probation violation holder on Schlichter based upon the new charge. That holder would keep Schlichter in custody even if he could otherwise post bond on the Barney charge.

O’Brien called upon any member of the public who believes that they were a victim of a scheme involving Schlichter, where there was a financial loss, to contact his office at 614-525-3555 to determine if a police report should be filed.