Marc Dann
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Marc E. Dann (born March 12, 1962) is an American former politician of the Democratic Party, who served as the
Attorney General of Ohio The Ohio attorney general is the chief legal officer of the state of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio attorney general is Republican Dave Yost. History The office of the att ...
from 2007 until his resignation on May 14, 2008.


Law career and state Senate

Dann earned a B.A. in 1984 from the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
and a J.D. degree in 1987 from
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...
. He practiced law in
Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...
, and became active in Democratic Party politics. Dann ran for the
Ohio state Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such t ...
in the district then comprising Trumbull and
Geauga Geauga County ( ) is a county located in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,397. The county seat and largest city is Chardon. The county is named for an Onondaga or Seneca language ...
counties. He finished third in the party primary behind eventual winner Tim Ryan and a local township trustee. From 2001 to 2002, Dann served as a member of the Liberty Local School District board of education. After Ryan won election to the Ohio State Senate in 2002, Dann convinced the state Senate's Democratic caucus to appoint him to fill the balance of Ryan's term. He easily won election to a full term in 2004. He was reprimanded in 2004 by the
Ohio Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...
for handling a 2002
alimony Alimony, also called aliment (Scotland), maintenance (England, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Canada, New Zealand), spousal support (U.S., Canada) and spouse maintenance (Australia), is a legal obligation on a person to provide ...
case without proper preparation. Dann was a leading figure in the exposure of a variety of ethics and criminal scandals in the administration of Republican Governor
Bob Taft Robert Alphonso Taft III (born January 8, 1942) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 67th governor of Ohio from 1999 to 2007. A member of the Taft family, Taft political dynasty and Republican Party (United States), Republic ...
, who became the first sitting governor in Ohio history to plead guilty to a crime. Dann was a leading critic of " Coingate," an investment plan in which $50 million of the state's
workers compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...
reserve fund was given to Republican Tom Noe, a politically connected coin dealer. When the Coingate scandal broke, Taft, who was a regular golf partner of Noe's, denied having knowledge of the Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) decision to invest money in Noe's coin funds. Dann demanded, then sued to see memos, e-mails, and other communications transmitted between Gov. Taft's office and the BWC. Dann was a vociferous critic of then-
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
Jim Petro James M. Petro (born October 25, 1948) is an American lawyer and politician of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who served as the Ohio Attorney General, Attorney General of Ohio. Previously, Petro also served as Ohio State ...
, a Republican, who had been notified by the
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more than two years earlier that the SEC had serious reservations about investment practices at the BWC. Dann charged that Petro ignored those warnings and the misuse of funds at the agency continued unabated until the ''
Toledo Blade ''The Blade'', also known as the ''Toledo Blade'', is a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, published daily online and printed Thursday and Sunday by Block Communications. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835. Overview The first issu ...
'' and Dann began to expose the corruption.


Attorney General

Dann announced his candidacy for Attorney General of Ohio on November 14, 2005, saying he would use the office to both help local police and prosecutors deal with street crime and to actively and aggressively pursue white collar criminals. Dann won 71% of the vote in the Democratic primary against former
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
Law Director Subodh Chandra. He won the general election in November 2006 by upsetting
Ohio State Auditor The Ohio state auditor (formally known as the auditor of state) is responsible for auditing all the public offices of the state of Ohio. The auditor is elected to a four-year term. The current auditor is Keith Faber. References External li ...
Betty Montgomery Betty D. Montgomery (born April 3, 1948) is an American politician from the state of Ohio. A Republican, she formerly served as Ohio State Auditor and is the first woman Ohio Attorney General. Education Montgomery earned a Bachelor of Arts ...
, a former attorney general. In the general-election campaign, Montgomery tried to distance herself from the scandals of the Taft administration, while criticizing Dann for wanting to use the attorney general's office as a platform for activism. In a television advertisement, the Montgomery campaign attacked Dann for the above-mentioned 2004 reprimand and for defending a man convicted of showing nude pictures to children. Dann responded to the latter attack by saying he was simply doing his job as an attorney. Dann received 2.04 million votes to 1.83 million for Montgomery, a margin of 52% to 48%. He ran up huge margins in traditionally Republican areas and also won bellwether counties such as
Franklin Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...
and Stark. Before her defeat by Dann, Montgomery had never lost a statewide election and had been the top Republican vote-getter in the previous two non-presidential statewide contests. He was sworn in as the 47th Ohio Attorney General on January 8, 2007.


Controversies

Dann had been questioned by some for supporting
Capri Cafaro Capri Silvestri Cafaro (born November 21, 1977) is a former Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 32nd District from 2007 to 2016. From the Mahoning Valley, Cafaro served three terms as an Ohio ...
's successful bid to fill Dann's unexpired term in the state Senate. Cafaro, heiress to part of the Cafaro shopping-mall empire, had never won election to office. In addition, Cafaro's father, J. J. Cafaro, had pleaded guilty in 2001 to bribing then-Congressman
Jim Traficant Jim or JIM may refer to: Names * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy People and horses * Jim, the nickname of Yelkanum Seclamatan (died April 1911), Na ...
to push legislation that would benefit his aviation-equipment company. Capri, then in her early 20s, was president of the aviation company but was not charged with any wrongdoing. In a related trial, Capri testified she had never conspired with Traficant. As of October 18, 2006, the Cafaro family had contributed $30,500 to Dann's campaign for attorney general, in addition to the $26,000 they had donated to his state Senate campaigns. Of that money, $10,000 came from J. J. Cafaro. Dann defended his recommendation of Capri Cafaro by saying he believed she was the only qualified candidate to replace him. Dann faced criticism from the
Mansfield News Journal The ''Mansfield News Journal'' is an American daily newspaper based in Mansfield, Ohio. It serves Richland, Ashland and Crawford counties, as well as parts of Morrow, Knox and Huron counties in the north central part of the state. Histo ...
and others for telling (
Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Mahoning River, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown, Ohio, Y ...
) ''
Tribune Chronicle The ''Tribune Chronicle'' is a daily morning newspaper serving Warren, Ohio and the Mahoning Valley area of the United States. The newspaper claims to be the second oldest in the U.S. state of Ohio.
'' reporter Steve Oravecz to "go ... fuck yourself" at a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
. Dann was upset about an article Oravecz had written entitled "Locals with ties to Dann get jobs". The article described how two people with ties to Dann's election campaign, including a woman who he raised as a daughter, were given state jobs. The incident was caught on tape. According to the
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, the Attorney General's office missed a legal deadline to join an appeal of a
Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...
-related court decision the state government opposes. The deadline for filing the documents was Dann's inauguration day. The failure to join the appeal does not prevent the state from filing briefs in the case.


Sexual harassment scandal

A
sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...
scandal arose during Dann's tenure as attorney general, eventually leading to his resignation. The investigation focused on allegations of sexual harassment filed by two women
Cindy Stankoski and Vanessa Stout
who worked in Dann’s office under the supervision of Anthony Gutierrez, Dann’s director of general services. In April 2008, Dann placed Communications Director Leo Jennings on paid leave pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation in his office, along with Gutierrez, pending the outcome of the investigation. Jennings and Gutierrez were non-attorney friends of Dann from Youngstown; the three shared a condominium in Columbus. Stankoski and Stout alleged that Gutierrez, who was paid $87,500 a year, repeatedly sexually harassed them. A statement from Dann released to reporters gave no details on what led to Jennings being included in the investigation. It said only: "This action comes as a result of new information received over the weekend related to the ongoing investigation into charges of sexual harassment." Dann agreed to conditionally release emails between himself and his former scheduler, Jessica Utovich. Utovich, 28, began as Dann's scheduler, but was transferred to the position of director of travel in late 2007. Upon being transferred, Utovich received a 27% pay raise.


Extramarital affair and resignation

On May 2, 2008, following the firing and resignation of a number of his aides in a sexual harassment scandal, Dann admitted that he had had an extramarital affair with an unidentified subordinate in his office. However, he initially refused to resign, saying his admission and punishment were enough. In the wake of his admission, a number of Ohio papers called for Dann to resign and the ''
Tribune Chronicle The ''Tribune Chronicle'' is a daily morning newspaper serving Warren, Ohio and the Mahoning Valley area of the United States. The newspaper claims to be the second oldest in the U.S. state of Ohio.
'' even apologized to its readers for their endorsement of Dann during the 2006 election. On May 4, 2008, the three largest Ohio newspapers ran editorials condemning Dann. ''
The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio; it is a major national newspaper. In the fall of 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily an ...
'' (
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
) opined that "Dann has turned the attorney general's office into a laughingstock" and "it's impossible to see how he can recover" The ''
Columbus Dispatch ''The Columbus Dispatch'' is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and it has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since '' The Columbus Citizen-Journal'' ceased publication i ...
'' said Dann was "not fit to serve", and the ''
Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, altho ...
'' called for Dann's resignation. The ''Plain Dealer'' had previously reported on statements by Republicans that if Dann wouldn't step down, they could try to
impeach Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Euro ...
him. On the evening of May 5, Democratic Governor Strickland issued a statement which appeared to support Dann's impeachment should he decide not to resign. Dann showed no interest in departure, even after Strickland's statement. On May 5, 2008, the ''Columbus Dispatch'' reported that seven separate investigations were either underway or being considered in response to misconduct at the Attorney General's office. On May 10, 2008, the Ohio Democratic Party voted to remove their endorsement of Dann, remove him of his membership in the Ohio Democratic Party Executive Committee, and call for his immediate resignation as attorney general. On May 12, 2008, articles of impeachment were filed with 42 of the 45 Democrats in the state house supporting the nine counts. At a May 14, 2008, press conference in
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...
, Dann resigned the Office of
Attorney General of Ohio The Ohio attorney general is the chief legal officer of the state of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio attorney general is Republican Dave Yost. History The office of the att ...
. In March 2009, Dann and his campaign were each fined $1,000 by the Ohio Elections Commission for violating campaign-finance laws by using his political account for personal cell phones for his family and for security renovations to his Youngstown-area home. In June 2009, Dann reached a plea agreement with the Ohio Inspector General, Thomas P. Charles, in which he pled guilty to a single count of misuse of campaign funds, for purchasing travel for family members to San Francisco for a vacation that was to be packaged with a political fundraiser, and paid another fine of $1000; the Commission agreed to accept the plea deal by a 5 to 1 vote. Prior to filing criminal charges against Dann’s associates, including Leo Jennings, Anthony Gutierrez and Edgar Simpson, Charles filed complaints against Dann with the Elections Commission, alleging that he illegally used his political account to pay Leo Jennings, who used the money to pay for rent and utilities for the condominium they shared with Anthony Gutierrez. Following a trial regarding different allegations relating to his tenure in Dann's office, Gutierrez was ultimately sentenced to 45 days in jail.


Personal

Dann's former spouse, Alyssa Lenhoff, is director of the journalism program at
Youngstown State University Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergrad ...
. Lenhoff won several awards for investigative reporting at the ''
Tribune Chronicle The ''Tribune Chronicle'' is a daily morning newspaper serving Warren, Ohio and the Mahoning Valley area of the United States. The newspaper claims to be the second oldest in the U.S. state of Ohio.
'' in
Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Mahoning River, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown, Ohio, Y ...
. Lenhoff's former partner at the ''Tribune'', Ed Simpson, was Dann's chief of staff until he resigned under fire on May 2, 2008. Dann was a Sigma Chi at the University of Michigan. Dann and Lenhoff have three children. Lenhoff filed for divorce from Dann on April 15, 2010, after Dann was caught having an extramarital affair. Their divorce was finalized in July 2010. Dann was suspended from the practice of law by the Ohio Supreme Court effective November 20, 2012, and was reinstated effective June 11, 2013. Dann now has a private legal practice in
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
, reportedly specializing in combating home foreclosures.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dann, Marc 1962 births 21st-century American Jews Jewish state legislators in Ohio Lawyers from Youngstown, Ohio Living people Ohio attorneys general Democratic Party Ohio state senators 21st-century members of the Ohio General Assembly Politicians from Shaker Heights, Ohio Politicians from Youngstown, Ohio School board members in Ohio University of Michigan alumni