Columbus, Franklin County allege racketeering in lawsuit filed against Franklinton market
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Franklinton market accused of selling stolen merchandise is now being sued by the City of Columbus.
According to the City Attorney’s Office, both Columbus and Franklin County are filing a lawsuit against Herbert’s Market, located in the 1100 block of Sullivant Avenue, aiming to declare the business a public nuisance and charging the owners with violating the Ohio Corrupt Practices Act, otherwise known as racketeering.
The lawsuit alleges that Columbus police repeatedly found evidence that the store owners knowingly attempted to sell stolen goods, prompting a CPD investigation and racketeering claims against the store owner Ahmad Arman and Herbert’s Market.
In addition to the racketeering charge, records show that from July 2022 until the present day, Herbert’s Market has also been the subject of 138 calls for police assistance for various criminal and nuisance activities. Reports of crime have included an individual threatening others with a gun, drug use, drug overdose, a shooting, and harassment.
The Columbus Division of Fire also recently observed several code violations with respect to fire hazards, including inadequate signage for exits and inventory overflow blocking passages, the City Attorney’s Office said.
During an initial inspection, Columbus police observed a man walking into the store intending to sell items to store operators, and subsequent inspections resulted in observations that the market had trafficked in stolen goods, including a stockpile of theft-prevention devices from third-party retailers.
Arman reportedly told detectives about the source of his merchandise, including products by Gucci, Adidas and other name-brand manufacturers. He allegedly offered to take the products off the shelves and admitted to purchasing stolen merchandise on at least one occasion, while not requesting receipts for inventory purchases.
The lawsuit also details widespread problems facing law-abiding merchants on the West Side, particularly along the Sullivant Ave. corridor, which has recently suffered an enormous amount of shoplifting that has diverted significant police resources to the area.