The FTC stated that data suggests social media was “far more profitable to scammers in 2021 than any other method of reaching people.”

More than 95,000 people in 2021 reported losing money to a scam that started with a message, post or ad on social media, according to the FTC. Their losses totaled $770 million. Social media scams have rocketed over the past half decade as back in 2017 there were 5,000 people who reported social media scams to the FTC, with losses totaling $42 million.

“For scammers, there’s a lot to like about social media,” the FTC stated. “It’s a low-cost way to reach billions of people from anywhere in the world. It’s easy to manufacture a fake persona, or scammers can hack into an existing profile to get “friends” to con.

“There’s the ability to fine-tune their approach by studying the personal details people share on social media. In fact, scammers could easily use the tools available to advertisers on social media platforms to systematically target people with bogus ads based on personal details such as their age, interests, or past purchases.”

By far the most common type of social media scam in 2021 involved online shopping. These types of scams represented 45 percent of all reported social media scams.

In about 70 percent of online shopping scam reports, the victims told the FTC they placed an order — typically after seeing an ad — but never receiving what they purchased. In some cases, victims reported that the ads impersonated real online retailers that drove people to “lookalike” website.

“When people identified a specific social media platform in their reports of undelivered goods, nearly 9 out of 10 named Facebook or Instagram,” the FTC stated.

Despite making up a significant portion of the scams, online shopping scams only accounted for 14 percent of the total financial loss in 2021. Investment scams accounted for the largest financial losses in 2021 (37 percent), despite representing 18 percent of all social media scams.

“Reports make clear that social media is a tool for scammers in investment scams, particularly those involving bogus cryptocurrency investments — an area that has seen a massive surge in reports,” the FTC stated.

In cases where payment method was reported, cryptocurrency was used in 64 percent of social media investment fraud reports last year. That was followed by payment app or service (13 percent) and bank transfer or payment (9 percent).

The FTC reported in May 2021 that many victims reported being lured to websites that look like opportunities for investing in or mining cryptocurrencies, but are bogus. These fraudulent sites often offer several investment tiers. The more you put in the bigger the supposed returns.

Some use fake testimonials and cryptocurrency jargon to appear credible, “but promises of enormous, guaranteed returns are simply lies.”

“These websites may even make it look like your investment is growing,” the FTC stated. “But people report that, when they try to withdraw supposed profits, they are told to send even more crypto – and end up getting nothing back.”

There are also “giveaway scams” that the FTC stated are supposedly sponsored by a celebrity or other known figure in the cryptocurrency space. These scams promised to immediately multiply the cryptocurrency people send.

But victims report that they later discovered they’d simply sent their crypto directly to a scammer’s wallet. In a six-month period, people reported sending more than $2 million in cryptocurrency to Elon Musk impersonators, according to the FTC.

Romance scams accounted for 9 percent social media scam reports and 24 percent of the total financial losses in 2021. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of reported romance scams in 2021 started on Facebook and 13 percent started on Instagram.

The FTC stated that these scams “often start with a seemingly innocent friend request from a stranger, followed by sweet talk, and then, inevitably, a request for money.”

The FTC suggests the following tips to help avoid social media scams:

• Limit who can see your posts and information. All platforms collect information about you from your activities on social media, but some restrictions can be put in place by visiting your privacy setting.

• Check if you can opt out of targeted advertising, which some platforms allow. If you receive a message from a friend about an opportunity or an urgent need for money, call them. Their account may have been hacked. This is especially possible if they ask you to pay by cryptocurrency, gift card, or wire transfer.

• If someone appears on your social media and rushes to start a friendship or romance, slow down. Never send money to someone you haven’t met in person.

• Before you buy, check out the company. Search online for its name plus “scam” or “complaint.”

More information on how to spot, avoid and report scams, as well as how to recovery money if you’ve paid a scammer, can be found at ftc.gov/scams. Spotted scams can be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Robert McWilliams, 41, a former seminarian at St. Helen’s Catholic Church in Newbury Township, was serving his sentence at Allenwood, a federal prison in Union County, Pennsylvania.

Union County Coroner Dominick Adamo confirmed that McWilliams had died, but declined to provide further details.

According to a news release from the prison, McWilliams was found unresponsive at 12:50 a.m. Feb. 4. Staff initiated life-saving measures and requested emergency medical services. McWilliams was transported to a local hospital and subsequently pronounced dead by hospital staff.

The FBI was notified, according to the news release. No staff or other inmates were injured, the release stated. McWilliams was at Allenwood since Jan. 31.

McWilliams was sentenced to life in prison Nov. 9, 2021, after previously pleading guilty to sex trafficking of a minor, three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, and one count each of transportation of child pornography, receipt and distribution of visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possession of child pornography.

McWilliams on Dec. 22 filed a notice to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals he was appealing his sentence.

He was arrested Dec. 5, 2019, at St. Joseph in Strongsville after the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force raided his office and living space. He was initially facing criminal charges in Cuyahoga and Geauga counties, but prosecutors in both counties dropped their cases after a federal complaint was filed Feb. 21, 2020.

He at times threatened to send those photos to family and friends if the minor victim did not send additional photos and videos, investigators say. McWilliams followed through on this threat by sending the mothers sexually explicit photographs he received from minor male victims.

He also used a social networking website to make contact with a minor male victim for the “purpose of engaging in commercial sex.” McWilliams allegedly met the victim on multiple occasions and, in exchange for sex, paid the victim for each act.

McWilliams was also in possession of, received or distributed approximately 1,700 images and videos of child pornography and approximately 150 files of child pornography in a cloud storage account, according to investigators.

The families of three of McWilliams’ victims are members of St. Helen’s parish. He came to the attention of the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office in October 2019, after two families from the parish filed a report detailing how their sons were extorted online for sexually explicit images of themselves, according to the prosecution’s sentencing memorandum.

In December, McWilliams was dismissed from the clerical state by Pope Francis.

The U.S. Senate on Feb. 1 confirmed all three of President Joe Biden’s nominees for lifetime appointments in the federal court. Bridget Meehan Brennan, Charles Esque Fleming and David Augustin Ruiz were nominated by the president following the recommendations of Ohio’s U.S. senators, Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman.

“It was my honor to recommend these three highly qualified nominees to serve in the Northern District of Ohio,” Brown said in a statement. “Their swift confirmations by the full Senate is a testament to their qualifications. Each of these nominees brings with them not only impressive legal credentials, but also life experiences, empathy, and deep commitment to justice. I know they will serve honorably on behalf of the people of Ohio.”

Brennan served as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio since January 2021. She has held a number of leadership roles since joining the office in 2007, according to a news release from Brown’s and Portman’s offices. She was the office’s first assistant from 2018 to 2021, chief of the criminal division from 2017 to 2018, chief of the civil rights unit from 2015 to 2017 and ethics advisor from 2013 to 2018. She will be the fifth woman currently serving on the bench in the Northern District of Ohio.

Fleming served as an assistant federal public defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland since 1991. He was the investigative and paralegal staff supervisor from 2010 to 2016 and the Cleveland Trial Team supervisor from 2016 to 2021. He will be the only African-American man serving as an active-duty judge for the Northern District of Ohio.

Ruiz served as a magistrate judge for the Northern District of Ohio court since 2016. He previously served as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio from 2010 to 2016. Ruiz will be the first Latino federal judge in Ohio’s history, according to Brown’s and Portman’s offices.

“I’d like to congratulate Ms. Brennan, Mr. Fleming, and Judge Ruiz on their confirmation to the bench in the Northern District of Ohio by the U.S. Senate,” Portman said in a statement. “I was proud to recommend them to serve and know they will serve Ohio honorably.”

Christine Priola, 50, is facing charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful entry; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and unlawful activities on Capitol grounds.

“In sum, due to the number of individuals currently charged across the Capitol Attack investigation and the nature of those charges, the ongoing investigation of many other individuals, the volume and nature of potentially discoverable materials, and the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation by all parties taking into account the exercise of due diligence, the failure to grant such a continuance in this proceeding would be likely to make a continuation of this proceeding impossible, or result in a miscarriage of justice,” Zimmerman wrote in the motion. “Accordingly, the ends of justice served by granting a request for a continuance outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial.”

U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey on Jan. 31 granted a 60-day continuance. The status hearing is now scheduled for April 5, according to court records.

According to the criminal complaint filed against Priola, images circulating on numerous news media platforms showed a woman on Jan. 6 holding a sign that read, in part, “The Children Cry Out for Justice,” and pointing a cell phone at another person occupying the seat of the U.S. vice president in the Senate chambers.

The woman in the photo was wearing a red winter coat and “distinctive pants” that appeared to have “Trump” and other words written on the legs.

On Jan. 8, 2021, the Cleveland Division of the FBI received an anonymous tip via Twitter that the woman in the photo was allegedly Priola. In the complaint, a U.S. marshal stated Priola was identified by comparing photographs from the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway with photos taken Jan. 6.

A search warrant was executed on the evening of Jan. 8 at Priola’s Willoughby home. Law enforcement agents recovered a laptop computer, two desktop computers, several thumb drives and an iPhone, according to the complaint.

Priola was arrested Jan. 13, 2021. She is free on bond. A trial date in her case has not yet been set.

Priola worked as an occupational therapist in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. She resigned from her job on Jan. 7, 2021, according to her personnel file with the district. Her resignation letter referenced conspiracy theories.

Sponsors Sens. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, and Michael Rulli, R-Salem, said the bill eliminates the cap on individual loans issued to farmers under the Agricultural Linked Deposit program, or Ag-LINK for short.

That program helps farmers and agribusiness finance upfront operating costs for feed, seed, fertilizer, fuel, and other expenses by providing interest rate reductions on new or existing loans at eligible financial institutions. Currently, farm operators and agribusinesses can receive up to a 3% interest rate reduction on new or existing operating loans up to $150,000.

“In a time where farmers are facing escalating costs to run their business and borrowing has become harder, this bill would bring much-needed relief for our agriculture industry,” said Cirino.

Rulli said that while working on this bill he heard from farmers about the rising costs of agricultural resources.

“For example, one ton of nitrogen fertilizer sold for $160 per ton last year now costs $530 per ton,” he said. “Herbicides have doubled in price.”

The bill, SB 241, also adds agriculture co-ops as eligible Ag-LINK borrowers.

Additionally, the bill expands the types of obligations in which the state treasurer may invest interim funds. Cirino and Rulli said the chance will lead to lower borrowing costs for Ohio hospitals and enhanced credit for the states public universities that choose to utilize such a partnership.

“These cost-savings will help numerous institutions focus their financial resources on their principal missions to serve customers, patients, and students,” Cirino said.

The bill now heads to the Ohio House of Representatives for further consideration.

The U.S. Armed Forces used Agent Orange to destroy crops and vegetation between 1961 and 1971 as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand. During that 10-year period, more than 20 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed, exposing soldiers to the dangerous chemicals, according to a news release from state Rep. Daniel P. Troy’s Office. Troy sponsored the resolution.

Many service members developed severe and often fatal illnesses upon returning home from duty. Approximately 300 deaths occur every day among Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange, the news release stated.

“This resolution ensures the heroism of every soldier who sacrificed their health and wellbeing in Vietnam is properly acknowledged,” Troy said in a statement. “It is my hope that our work in the Ohio House will encourage the federal government to take additional action and provide Agent Orange victims with the benefits they have earned.

Stanko enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. and volunteered for deployment in Vietnam as a combat engineer. Stanko spent 38 years in law enforcement following his military service, including 17 years as a police chief. Stanko, 70, died Jan. 16.

Stanko gave proponent testimony for the resolution during a Nov. 17 Ohio House Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committee hearing.

“There are private organizations and foundations out there that recognize Agent Orange,” Stanko said. “Understandably, the names of Ohio Vietnam veterans that died from Agent Orange are not on the (Vietnam Veterans Memorial) wall in Washington D.C. Those suffering from Agent Orange exposure were wounded internally, not externally and our only guarantee is a lifetime of pain and suffering. A battle with this disease will ultimately end in death for Vietnam veterans.”

Stanko said it was his mission to make Ohio one of the first states to pass a measure honoring soldiers exposed to Agent Orange.

“Ohio warriors are not asking for a Purple Heart,” he said. “We don’t want a Purple Heart. We understand that. Or our names to be inscribed on a wall in D.C. We know that. But we surely earned, and are entitled to, recognition and honor.”

Bridget Meehan Brennan, Charles Esque Fleming and David Augustin Ruiz are President Joe Biden’s nominees for the bench. They must now be confirmed by the full Senate.

The nominees were recommended by both of Ohio’s Senators, Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman.

Brennan has served as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio since January. She has held a number of leadership roles since joining the office in 2007, according to a news release from Brown’s and Portman’s offices. She was the office’s first assistant from 2018 to 2021, chief of the criminal division from 2017 to 2018, chief of the civil rights unit from 2015 to 2017 and ethics advisor from 2013 to 2018.

Fleming has served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland since 1991. He was the investigative and paralegal staff supervisor from 2010 to 2016 and the Cleveland Trial Team supervisor from 2016 to 2021. If confirmed, Fleming would be the only African-American man serving as an active-duty judge for the Northern District of Ohio

Ruiz has served as a magistrate judge for the Northern District of Ohio court since 2016. He previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio from 2010 to 2016. If confirmed, Ruiz would become the first Latino federal judge in Ohio’s history, according to Brown and Portman’s offices.

“I congratulate Ms. Brennan, Mr. Fleming, and Judge Ruiz on the Senate Judiciary Committee vote to report them from committee,” Portman said in a statement. “These three nominees will serve the Northern District of Ohio with distinction and integrity and I look forward to their confirmation by the U.S. Senate.”

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio serves the state’s 40 most northern counties. It has courts located in Cleveland, Akron, Toledo and Youngstown.

The county had 715 overdose deaths last year, according to data from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. That figure is up from 553 overdose deaths last year and is the second highest number the county has experienced in a calendar year. There were 727 overdose deaths in 2017.

Fentanyl remains the largest contributor to overdose deaths in the county, as has been the case since 2016. In 2021, 480 overdose deaths involved fentanyl or its analogs (the medical examiner’s office groups analog deaths together with fentanyl). That’s the second-most in the county’s history, again behind 2017 when there were 493 fentanyl-related deaths.

Of those who died of fentanyl-related overdose deaths in the county, a record 31.04 percent were Black, according to the medical examiner’s office. In 2020, 25 percent of fentanyl overdose victims were Black. In 2019, that figure was 27.8 percent. In 2016, it was 14.5 percent.

There were a record number of cocaine-related overdoses in 2021 with 316. That surpasses the previous high of 300 in 2017. A record 244 overdose deaths involved a combination of fentanyl and cocaine in 2021, according to the medical examiner’s office data. The previous high was 190 in 2017.

Overdose deaths involving heroin remained relatively static in 2021. There were 55 heroin-related overdose deaths last year, up from 51 in 2020. That figure is well below the 2017 peak of 324.

Deaths involving carfentanil saw a significant decrease for the second straight year. After deaths involving the highly potent large animal sedative peaked with 240 deaths in 2019, that figure dropped to 63 the following year. In 2021, only six overdose deaths involved carfentanil.

Medical examiner’s office data shows that 78 people died of overdose in November, a record high. Fifty-six of those deaths involved fentanyl, 33 involved a combination of fentanyl and cocaine, and 15 involved cocaine alone.

On Nov. 8, Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Thomas P. Gilson issued a public health alert after at least 12 people died from overdoses over a two-day period. In the alert, Gilson said the “public should be aware that there is a serious threat to their lives if they are using street drugs right now in Cuyahoga County.”

Gilson highlighted that short-term and long-term intervention strategies are available. Free kits of the opioid-overdose reversal medication are available from MetroHealth’s Project DAWN Program. Information about that program can be found by calling 216-778-5677.

Gilson said that naloxone and fentanyl test strips work with most fentanyl analogs. Fentanyl test strips are rapid tests that are used to determine if drugs have been mixed or cut with fentanyl. The CDC stated these strips provide people who use drugs, as well as communities, with “important information about fentanyl in the illicit drug supply so they can take steps to reduce their risk of overdose.”

Fentanyl test strips are available for free at multiple locations in Cuyahoga County, but are predominantly found in Cleveland. In the east side suburbs, the strips can be found at LaBarberia Institute of Hair, 1633 Golden Gate Plaza in Mayfield Heights.

A full list of locations can be found at www.testyourdrugscc.com.

The Cuyahoga County  Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) provided a 24-hour crisis hotline at 216-623-6888.

At least eight people died of suspected drug overdoses in the county on Dec. 2. A month earlier, Gilson issued a public health alert after 12 people died from suspected overdoses between Nov. 6-7.

“Much like a month ago, yesterday’s overdose cluster is very concerning.” Gilson said in a Dec. 3 statement. “Again, the public needs to be aware that using street drugs in and around Cuyahoga County is deadly.

“Resources are available to lessen the dangers, but the simple fact is there is only one sure way to avoid these tragic ends. Get yourself into treatment before it is too late.”

Fentanyl test strips are available for free at multiple locations in Cuyahoga County, but are predominantly found in Cleveland. In the east side suburbs, the strips can be found at LaBarberia Institute of Hair, 1633 Golden Gate Plaza in Mayfield Heights. A full list of locations can be found at testyourdrugscc.com.

Through November, the Cuyahoga Medical Examiner’s Office estimates the county will see 709 total drug overdose deaths in 2021. That’s down from their October projection of 720, but is still on pace to be the second highest figure on record. Cuyahoga County overdose deaths peaked at 727 in 2017. Last year the county had 553 overdose deaths.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 100,306 people died nationwide of drug overdose deaths between April 2020 and April 2021. It’s the first time more than 100,000 people in the U.S. died of drug overdoses in a 12-month period and marks a 28.5 percent increase from the prior year. Provisional data from the CDC shows Lake County had 96 overdose deaths over that span, up from 73 over the same 12-month span a year earlier.

Shannon Monnat, an associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University who researches geographic patterns in overdoses, told the Associated Press earlier this year that there’s no current evidence that more Americans started using drugs this year. The deaths were from those already struggling with addiction. It’s an “increasingly poisoned drug supply,” driving the surge. Nearly all of the increase involves fentanyl contamination in some way, she said.

“Heroin is contaminated. Cocaine is contaminated. Methamphetamine is contaminated,” Monnat told the AP.

Northern District of Ohio U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan released a statement regarding the overdose surge shortly after Gilson’s early December alert.

“There are no safe street drugs,” Brennan said. “Pills that look like oxycontin or percocet are often pressed fentanyl, fentanyl analogues or carfentanil. Similarly, cocaine is not just cocaine, and heroin is not just heroin. What is being bought on the streets is killing our friends and neighbors.”

The Drug Enforcement Agency issued a public safety alert in September warning of an “alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.”

The agency stated that the counterfeit pills have been seized by agents in every U.S. state in unprecedented quantities. By late September, more than 9.5 million pills had already been seized in 2021, more than the previous two years combined.

“Counterfeit pills that contain these dangerous and extremely addictive drugs are more lethal and more accessible than ever before,” DEA  Administrator Anne Milgram said in a statement. “In fact, DEA lab analyses reveal that two out of every five fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose.”

The DEA stated the only safe medications are ones prescribed by a “trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist.”

Also this year, Lake County – along with Trumbull County – emerged victorious in a lawsuit against three retail pharmacy chains they claimed accelerated the supply of opioids into the county.

A federal jury in late November announced a verdict in favor of the counties against CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. Two other companies, Giant Eagle and Rite Aid, previously settled with the two counties.

It’s estimated that 61 million opioid pills were distributed in Lake County between 2012 and 2016. That comes to 265 pills per resident, according to county officials. The officials added that the impact of the opioid epidemic is evident “within countless local agencies, including law enforcement, children services, local courts, coroner and local treatment facilities.”

The trial began in early October in the Northern District of Ohio federal court in Cleveland. Lake and Trumbull counties were selected by the court as a bellwether trial. The lawsuit was one of thousands filed around the country against companies for their alleged roles in fueling the opioid crisis.

The amount the pharmacies must pay in damages will be determined by Northern District of Ohio Judge Dan Aaron Polster in the spring.

Attorneys for the counties say that for decades pharmacy chains have “watched as the pills flowing out of their doors cause harm and failed to take action as required by law.

“Instead, these companies responded by opening up more locations, flooding communities with pills, and facilitating the flow of opioids into an illegal, secondary market,” the attorneys said in a statement following the verdict. “The judgment today against Walmart, Walgreens and CVS represents the overdue reckoning for their complicity in creating a public nuisance.”

Representatives for the losing pharmacies have indicated they plan on appealing the verdict.

In Lake County, free kits of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone are available from the Lake County General Health Districts. Kits can be requested online at the health district’s website. More information can be found at lcghd.org/naloxone-distribution/.

The dismissal comes after Robert McWilliams, 41, a former seminarian at St. Helen’s Catholic Church in Newbury Township, was sentenced in November by Northern District of Ohio Judge Sara Lioi. McWilliams previously pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor, three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, and one count each of transportation of child pornography, receipt and distribution of visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possession of child pornography.

McWilliams’ dismissal from the clerical state comes directly from Pope Francis and there is no possible appeal, according to a news release from the Diocese of Cleveland. His defrocking means that he is permanently no longer able to function anywhere as a priest. The diocese placed McWilliams on administrative leave following his December 2019 arrest. Records from the diocese show McWilliams was ordained in May 2017.

“We continue, as a family of faith, to offer prayers and support for his victims and for all those impacted by his reprehensible actions,” the Diocese of Cleveland said in a statement. “We ask our loving Father to heal any and all wounds they have suffered.”

McWilliams was arrested Dec. 5, 2019, at St. Joseph in Strongsville after the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force raided his office and living space. He was initially facing criminal charges in Cuyahoga and Geauga counties, but prosecutors in both counties dropped their cases after a federal complaint was filed Feb. 21, 2020.

From 2017-2019, McWilliams engaged in sexually explicit conduct involving minors, investigators say. McWilliams posed as women to entice the minor male victims to send him sexually explicit photographs and videos, sometimes threatening to expose embarrassing information. He at times threatened to send those photos to family and friends if the minor victim did not send additional photos and videos, investigators say. McWilliams followed through on this threat by sending the mothers sexually explicit photographs he received from minor male victims.

He also used a social networking website to make contact with a minor male victim for the “purpose of engaging in commercial sex.” McWilliams allegedly met the victim on multiple occasions and, in exchange for sex, paid the victim for each act.

McWilliams was also in possession of, received or distributed approximately 1,700 images and videos of child pornography and approximately 150 files of child pornography in a cloud storage account, according to investigators.

The families of three of McWilliams’ victims are members of St. Helen’s parish. He came to the attention of the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office in October 2019, after two families from the parish filed a report detailing how their sons were extorted online for sexually explicit images of themselves, according to the prosecution’s sentencing memorandum.

Though McWilliams is unable to appeal his defrocking, he is able to appeal his life sentence. He filed his notice of appeal Dec. 22 to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, court records show.

Those with information regarding sexual abuse by clergy in the Diocese of Cleveland can reach the diocese’s confidential response line at 216-334-2999 or response_services@dioceseofcleveland.org.