For more information, contact:
Ohio Ethics Commission
(614) 466-7090

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

FORMER PROJECT DIRECTOR PLEADS GUILTY

Former Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) Project Administrator Grisetta Griffin pleaded guilty and was convicted of a misdemeanor conflict of interest charge in Franklin County Municipal Court today. Judge Ann Taylor sentenced Griffin to 180 days in jail, which she suspended on the conditions that Griffin complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $400 fine and court costs. The charges were filed by the Ohio Ethics Commission and Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien's Office, and resulted from an Ethics Commission investigation initiated by a referral from the Department of Mental Health to the Commission.

Griffin subsequently resigned from her public employment and becomes the second former employee of ODMH to be found guilty of criminal charges resulting from the Ethics Commission's investigation. The other, Somers Martin, was convicted of a conflict of interest charge on March 14, 2007.

By her plea, Griffin admitted that she used her public position to introduce and facilitate the employment of her daughter with a private firm, Outcomes Management Group, that was simultaneously performing contract work for ODMH which Griffin was responsible for overseeing as the Department's Project Administrator. Griffin also signed off on several contracts with ODMH between 2001 and 2003 that named her daughter as part of the Outcomes Management Team performing the contracted work. Her daughter's last name was different than Griffin's, and appeared in the ODMH contract as Johnson.

The Ohio Ethics Commission is an independent state agency that applies and administers the Ethics Law for state and local public officials and employees outside of the General Assembly and judiciary. It has the power to investigate allegations of unethical conduct of public servants. The Commission was created over 30 years ago upon the enactment of the Ohio Ethics Law in 1973.

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