Taft represented Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds in a public corruption trial in Butler County. Reynolds faced five charges related to public corruption. He pled not guilty to all charges. After a two-week trial, the jury returned its verdict on Dec. 21, 2022, before Visiting Judge Hon. Daniel Hogan, finding Reynolds not guilty on four out of five counts.

Reynolds was appointed county auditor in April 2008. He was elected to complete the full term as auditor in November 2008 and subsequently re-elected to full terms in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. Prosecutors alleged he used his position for personal gain.

If Reynolds had been convicted of all charges, he would have faced up to seven and a half years in prison. He now faces six to 18 months incarceration, but the charge carries the presumption of probation, not prison. Reynold’s defense team included Taft Cincinnati partner Chad Ziepfel and associate Anna Greve.

“We are pleased with this outcome and grateful to our client for the trust he put in us,” said Ziepfel. “While we respect the jury’s decision, and we very much appreciate their hard work, we respectfully disagree with their conclusion as to Count 6 of the Indictment.”

Ziepfel is a partner in Taft’s Compliance, Investigations, and White Collar Defense practice. He regularly assists clients with internal investigations and advocates on behalf of businesses, executives, public officers, and other individuals involved in criminal prosecutions and investigations. Greve is an attorney in Taft’s Litigation practice. As a trusted advisor to C-suite executives and businesses of all sizes on complex litigation matters, she works in all phases of litigation from trial through the appellate process.