Dann improperly paid two top aides money from his campaign fund while the men also served in the attorney general’s office. He also filed inaccurate financial disclosure statements in 2007 and 2008, failing to report that he received $17,540 in campaign reimbursements during that time period, and a campaign contributor paid more than $20,800 to lease a private jet for Dann, his two children, and others to Scottsdale, Ariz., in January 2007.
The court rejected Dann’s argument that a stayed license suspension was enough punishment.
“While we recognize that Dann has offered substantial mitigating evidence, we note that he has previously been disciplined by this court, he has admitted that he knowingly engaged in the conduct that resulted in his criminal conviction for soliciting improper compensation, and that his conduct with respect to his financial disclosure statements fell somewhere between reckless and knowing,” the court wrote. “He also engaged in this unlawful conduct while serving as the state’s chief legal officer and one of the most recognizable attorneys in this state.”
Dann, a Democrat, was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1987. He was elected attorney general in 2006 and served from Jan. 8, 2007, until May 14, 2008, when he resigned under pressure in the middle of a sexual harassment scandal and signs that his administration was mismanaged. In May 2010, after a lengthy investigation, Dann was convicted of filing false financial disclosures and soliciting improper payment.
During the disciplinary process, Dann testified to the humiliation his conduct brought and noted that his mistakes revolved around hubris or arrogance, the court said.
“He explained that he did not expect to win the election and consequently was not prepared to hire a staff or properly organize his office. This lack of preparation and the competition for experienced government employees among other newly elected officials — some of whom could offer higher salaries — left Dann to hire employees with little or no government experience,” the court said.
Dann said he knew that law prohibited public employees from receiving additional pay but he wanted to compensate them for their political work and he didn’t question advisers who told him campaign money could be used to do so, the court said.
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