Former Ohio State employee, 2 others plead guilty to financial fraud
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A former Ohio State employee and two others pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program fraud, according to federal prosecutors.
Between 2007 and 2020, Michael Brammer, 59, of Pataskala, falsely classified computers and other university equipment as recyclable and then sold them to two recycling vendors while he was employed in the university's surplus department, prosecutors said.
The equipment was sold to Abraham Amira, 60, and Robert Howard, 73, both of Columbus, for 'artificially low prices,' according to prosecutors. In return for the equipment, Amira and Howard paid cash directly to Brammer.
Brammer received at least $650,000 in cash from Amira and Howard that would've otherwise belonged to the surplus department, prosecutors said. During the course of the fraud, Ohio State University received more than $10,000 in federal grants.
Amira pleaded guilty on Friday to the surplus fraud and also separate COVID-19-related fraud, according to prosecutors. In addition to the surplus fraud, he fraudulently received and spent more than $800,000 of COVID-19 relief money.
Brammer and Howard had previously pleaded guilty to the surplus fraud.
The three men will be sentenced at a later date. Each faces up to five years in prison for the surplus fraud. Amira faces up to 20 years in prison for an additional wire fraud charge.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Garien Gatewood said there are a variety of reasons for the sustained drop in crime, but highlighted a deeper collaborative effort by CPD officers and leadership, city residents, community violence intervention groups and the city's business community, as well as state and county offices. 'I genuinely think it is everybody being on the same page (and) actually working together and being focused on the ultimate goal of driving safety in the city,' Gatewood said. 'There's a lot of lives that are being impacted. There's a lot of trauma there. There's a lot of communities that are grieving, and we need to be able to support them there.' Neighborhoods that have historically felt the brunt of the city's problem with gun violence such as Englewood, North Lawndale and South Shore have seen some of the sharpest annual declines in shootings, CPD figures show. Not all parts of the city have felt progress, though. 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Now, like many others who endure violence near their homes, she is looking to move as soon as she can. 'I'm not going to sit there on that block and raise my kids,' she said. 'It's sad and it's ridiculous. He is a child.' Ashley Perez, a victim advocate through the North Lawndale-based social service organization UCAN, was helping Allen get started on the process of moving, getting access to state funds for victims of crime and the barrage of logistics that families can face when a loved one is shot. Still, she said that while the past few weeks have brought the typical spike in violence that comes with the summer, the level of violence has been 'nothing compared to last year' for her. 'When you're doing the work, you can tell,' she said. 'There was a time when it was nonstop shootings back to back.' The dip in crime is not limited to gun violence. CPD figures show double-digit percentage decreases so far this year in robberies, aggravated batteries, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts. CPD officers and detectives are busier so far this year, too. Department records show officers have effected about 17,500 arrests through mid-June — a 9% increase over 2024. Meanwhile, officers have recovered nearly 5,400 guns in 2025, keeping with long-standing monthly averages, and the department's murder clearance rate is 81% as of late June, according to a department spokesperson. Figures provided by county officials show the population of Cook County Jail has nearly returned to levels it saw before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 5,500 people. County data, however, shows that a greater share of inmates now face weapons and violent crime charges, while fewer detainees are held for nonviolent narcotics offenses. That shift has also helped to stanch Chicago shootings, Snelling said, adding that the working relationship between CPD and the Cook County state's attorney's office is 'excellent.' 'Am I under the belief that we should lock everyone up and throw away the key? Absolutely not,' Snelling said. 'I do believe, however, that those who go out every single day with the intent of doing harm to other human beings have to be held, especially when we know that they're more likely to commit another violent crime.' 'I believe that these crime numbers should tell you that when we are arresting these violent offenders and holding these violent offenders (in jail pending trial), it's less likely that they get the opportunity to re-offend,' he said.
