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Former and current Dayton, Ohio, officials face fraud charges

Joey Williams, Roshawn Winburn indicted by federal grand jury
Posted at 3:35 PM, Apr 30, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-30 15:51:51-04

DAYTON, Ohio — A former Dayton city commissioner and a current city official are facing federal charges of fraud and public corruption, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cincinnati.

Joey Williams, who served as elected city commissioner from 2001 until 2018 is charged with bribery as a government official.

Roshawn Winburn, current Director of Dayton’s Minority Business Assistance Center, is charged with wire fraud and public corruption.

Williams is accused of accepting more than $50,000 in free benefits from a contractor in exchange for influencing the awarding of city contracts to that individual’s business. The benefits included cash and the construction of a patio at Williams’ home.

The contractor’s company received at least $150,000 in contracts with the City of Dayton and CityWide Development Corporation, a non-profit organization that functioned as a development and financing arm of the City of Dayton.

Winburn devised a scheme “through bribery and the concealment of material facts and information regarding minority-owned, woman-owned and small disadvantaged businesses,” U.S. Attorney Ben Glassman said in a release. The investigation is continuing, Glassman said.

A federal grand jury also returned indictments against two Dayton businessmen. Clayton Luckie, a former state representative, is charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and Brian Higgins is charged with wire fraud.

The grand jury charged Luckie with devising a fraudulent scheme to take advantage of programs offered by the federal and state governments to help disadvantaged businesses.

Luckie allegedly approached the owner of a demolition company in 2016 or early 2017 and offered Luckie’s company’s certification to help secure a demolition project from the City of Dayton. He allegedly ordered magnetic signs with his company’s name on it to put on the side of trucks belonging to the actual demolition company. He is accused of sending false invoices for thousands of dollars to the City of Dayton.

Luckie represented the 39th District from his appointment in 2006 until 2013, following his decision to withdraw from the race for re-election in 2012.

Higgins is charged with filing a fraudulent insurance claim in connection with water damage to the Meeker Residence, an 8,000 square-foot house in Dayton. Higgins allegedly received more than $100,000 in insurance claims that he used for his personal benefit rather than to repair water damage that occurred from a 600-gallon fish tank.

If you have any information related to these cases, officials ask you to contact the FBI’s Dayton Public Corruption Tip Line at 937-291-5222.