COLUMBUS – Two former Columbus vice squad officers have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiring to violate others’ civil rights and conspiring to commit wire fraud.
Two former Columbus vice officers arrested, charged with unlawful searches & seizures, double billing off-duty details https://t.co/OTXvOty9bD
— US Attorney Southern District of Ohio (@SDOHnews) March 31, 2020
Steven Rosser, 43, of Delaware, and Whitney Lancaster, 57, of Columbus, were arrested Tuesday morning and appeared in federal court later in the day.
Rosser, a 19-year veteran, served as a detective in the division’s now-defunct vice unit from 2013 until October 2018.
Lancaster served in the Division of Police for 31 years and was assigned to the vice squad between 2016 and November 2018.
Both were fired earlier this year.
The vice squad was disbanded following the arrest of adult-film star Stormy Daniels in July 2018 and the fatal shooting of Donna Castleberry by an undercover vice officer a month later.
The indictment charges Rosser with getting into a fight with an employee at Nick’s Cabaret, a gentleman’s club on East Dublin Granville Road, in March 2015 and arranging to have him arrested on a false charge of making a threat. Based on Rosser’s report, the man was held in jail for five days before charges against him were ultimately dismissed, according to a release from the office of U.S. Attorney David DeVillers.
The indictment also claims Rosser, Lancaster and others deprived the owner of the Dollhouse, a gentleman’s club on Karl Court, of his civil rights by seizing and searching him and his vehicle without probable cause.
Rosser and Lancaster have also been accused of falsely claiming they worked special-duty assignments at Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark Resort in 2018.
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and
conspiracy to violate a person’s civil rights is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.