CLEVELAND, OH – December 28, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Two former members of the Cuyahoga County Board of Revision were indicted today as a result of a joint criminal investigation by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.Keith Headen, 52, Solon, is charged with one count of tampering with records, a third-degree felony. Headen is accused of altering a worksheet and journal entry in an attempt to reduce the valuation of a particular residential property. The board had rejected the property owner’s request to reduce his property value by $31,000. But following the board hearing, Headen allegedly altered the documents to make it appear as though the board approved the property owner’s request.
Tom Bush, 61, Olmsted Township, was indicted on two counts of theft in office, a third-degree felony. While serving as a member of the Board of Revision, Bush also was employed by a local radio station. Bush is accused of working for the radio station while on county time and providing false information on his county time sheets.
Headen and Bush are scheduled to appear for arraignment in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Jan. 11. Both previously resigned from their positions on the Board of Revision, Headen on June 23 and Bush on Aug. 2.
At the request of Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office was appointed earlier this month as special prosecutor in criminal matters involving any current or former employees of the Cuyahoga County Board of Revision.
The cases are being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Unit, a division of the Attorney General’s Criminal Justice section. 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 county prosecutors who request additional resources. Areas of focus include homicides, child sex offenses, white collar crime and alleged wrongdoing by public officials.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Media Contacts:
Ted Hart: (614) 728-4127
cell: (614) 743-2286
Holly Hollingsworth: (614) 644-0508
cell: (614) 353-7576
