COLUMBUS, Ohio – Seven Fairfield County men are facing a host of charges, accused of scamming elderly people out of thousands of dollars.
The group was indicted yesterday for racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering and theft, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said.
The indictment claims the men targeted people in their 80s and 90s by overcharging them for home improvements when little or no work had been done, pocketing $102,000 as a result of the scam, DeWine said.
Two of those indicted already served time in prison after being convicted for their part in a similar confidence ring known as the “Circleville 30,” DeWine said.
Bruce McFarland, Herschel Mumaw, Mark Christman, Mark Kitchen, Michael Fausnaugh, David Ramey, and Thristian Harding, all from the Circleville area, were indicted in Fairfield County on multiple felony counts, DeWine said.
McFarland and Mumaw, who served time as part of the “Circleville 30” convictions more than a decade ago, now face a maximum of 57 years in prison if convicted.
The “Circleville 30” was a group of relatives and friends who defrauded elderly homeowners out of hundreds of thousands after claiming they had done some type of home improvement work, until they were convicted in 2000, DeWine said.