Local and state authorities have said Johnson led a three-year, multicounty scam in which suspects allegedly bilked elderly residents out of thousands of dollars by grossly overcharging or performing unnecessary work.
Authorities in Greene County earlier indicted Timothy L. Henery and Christopher L. Gibbs.
The case is being investigated by multiple agencies, including the Ohio Attorney General’s office and prosecutors in Butler, Franklin, Greene and Montgomery counties.
Henery, 35, and Gibbs, 25, were indicted on seven counts apiece ranging from theft of an elderly person to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity to conspiracy and complicity.
The indictments show that the three suspects and other unindicted co-conspirators were defrauding elderly victims by deceiving them into believing they needed lawn or tree work.
By getting victims to believe the trees were diseased, damaged or unsafe, they collected checks for work either they never performed or completed. The indictment said their criminal enterprise infiltrated multiple legitimate tree-trimming companies to obtain credibility and cover their tracks.
The operation began in 2008 with a Greene County complaint, which set off an investigation that has continued for a couple years and involves at least four Ohio counties.
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