A former lawyer from Columbus, Ohio, Dennis W. McNamara, has entered a guilty plea in federal court for making false statements to the FBI. This was announced by Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.
McNamara, aged 74, pleaded guilty on March 18, 2025, to two counts before Chief United States District Judge Sarah D. Morrison.
The court learned that McNamara represented a cooperating witness involved in an investigation into drug and sex trafficking in Columbus. During this period, McNamara was also engaged in a sexual relationship with a female sex worker. He disclosed details about his client's cooperation to the woman, thereby endangering his client. When questioned by FBI agents regarding these disclosures, McNamara falsely denied having shared such information.
Due to a conflict of interest within the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, the case was assigned to their counterparts in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Sentencing is yet to be scheduled by the Court. The legal framework allows for a maximum sentence of up to five years imprisonment and/or a fine up to $250,000. The final sentence will depend on both the severity of offenses and any previous criminal record of McNamara.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark V. Gurzo is handling the prosecution for this case.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI's Southern Ohio Public Corruption Task Force with contributions from special agents and officers from multiple agencies including Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Columbus Division of Police. Additionally, support came from the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force.