Stop ODOD Abuse

COLUMBUS (February 18, 2009) - On December 9, 2008 Leader sent a public records request to ODOD Director Lee Fisher to determine if other Ohio small businesses were being similarly mistreated for having believed ODOD promises of Innovation Ohio Revolving Loan Fund ("Innovation Ohio") assistance. Former ODOD Director Bruce Johnson had promised Leader on March 24, 2003 a $5.2 million package of Innovation Ohio assistance which never materialized. ODOD has harassed and threatened Leader since 2005 to return a $250,000 412 Grant for failure to create the 159 Innovation Ohio jobs, without providing the promised Innovation Ohio funds to the company.

Within hours of Leader's submission of the public records request, ODOD Chief Legal Officer, Candace Jones, responded: "As we have responded previously to extensive record requests, it is unlikely that we have any additional information to provide to you." Leader has never submitted an "extensive record request."

In refusing Leader's records request pursuant to Ohio Sunshine Laws, ODOD was withholding potentially valuable information for Leader's defense against ODOD's unjust and unwarranted attacks, including a surprise ODOD garnishment attack in late January 2009 that included sending disruptive letters to nearly a dozen Leader customers, vendors and prospects; including Ohio secondary schools to whom Leader provides health and safety alerting services to parents in emergencies like lock downs, terror threats, violence and fires. ...

ODOD destroyed Innovation Ohio application files

Yesterday afternoon (February 17, 2008), Leader received a message from ODOD Deputy Chief Legal Officer, Robert Stempfer, the ODOD attorney at the center of this controversy, and Ms. Jones' subordinate. Interspersed in the legal jargon is a surprising revelation that Innovation Ohio records have been destroyed "...pursuant [sic] the department's records retention policies." Mr. Stempfer discloses that the "unapproved Innovation Ohio Loan application file" was destroyed.

Innovation Ohio has been the central subject of Leader's cries of foul for five years. Innovation Ohio was certainly the subject of ODOD's misapplication of 153 jobs to the 412 Grant, as well as misrepresentation of the jobs to the 2004 Ohio Legislature (p.24). Failed Innovation Ohio promises by ODOD have been a central complaint by Leader regarding ODOD's inequitable conduct, including its current garnishment lawsuit against Leader. We find it strange that ODOD would destroy evidence pertaining to legal efforts that it has both threatened and engaged in continuously since 2005.