Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis and his wife Lorinda Davis pleaded guilty on July 20 for their involvement in a public contracting scheme with the Southern Ohio Port Authority and a Portsmouth-area business park, Ohio Auditor Keith Faber announced.
Bryan Davis pleaded guilty to felony counts of theft in office, receiving stolen property and filing an incomplete or false tax return. Lorinda Davis pleaded guilty to a single felony count of tampering with evidence, according to a new release.
Bryan and Lorinda Davis submitted their pleas during a Scioto County Common Pleas Court Hearing. The couple is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 16. Prosecutors have recommended a prison term as part of Bryan Davis’ final sentence. As part of the plea agreement, he will also pay about $67,000 in restitution.
Davis was suspended in his role as Scioto County commissioner, pending the results of this criminal case. With his conviction, Davis will be removed from office and barred from holding public office in the future, according to the release.
“The people involved in this case used their positions to line their own pockets and then tried to hide their crimes,” Faber said in the release. “Today’s pleas are a first step toward justice for the people of Scioto County and a warning for anyone else thinking about abusing the public trust.”
Davises indicted in 2025
In 2025, the Davises, Robert Horton and his wife Lioubov Horton were all indicted following an investigation by the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) due to a complaint alleging a potential unlawful interest in a public contract.
Robert Horton, who headed the Southern Ohio Port Authority and the Scioto County Economic Development Department, his wife and the Davises were all alleged to be involved with a public contracting scheme between the Southern Ohio Port Authority and an out-of-state company for a building at the Southern Ohio Aeronautical Regional (SOAR) Business Park, adjacent to the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport.
Criminal cases against Horton and his wife are pending in the Scioto County Common Pleas Court, according to a release.
The indictments alleged Horton received kickbacks, payments allegedly received in exchange for helping secure public contract for construction while Davis used his position as county commissioner to secure the contract and public funding involved.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Scioto County commissioner pleads guilty in public contracting scheme
Reporting by Ella Diehl, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ella Diehl, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
