File. Harold Craig, right, appears in front of Wood County Common Pleas Judge Matthew Reger.
A Perrysburg man sentenced to prison for stealing from a non-profit has lost two more appeals.
On Sept. 23, the 6th District Court of Appeals affirmed a judgment by the Wood County Court of Common Pleas denying Harold Craig’s second petition for post-conviction relief.
The appeal stems from Craig’s argument that the court denied his request for a restitution hearing. He argued that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request a hearing.
The appeals court ruled Craig’s petition was untimely.
On Sept. 26, the appeals court denied Craig’s motion to reconsider its Aug. 26 decision and judgement affirming the trial court’s denial of his petition for post-conviction relief.
On Sept. 20, 2018, Craig, 48, was indicted for six counts including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, aggravated theft and four counts on money laundering. The charges all stemmed from his tenure as treasurer of the Perrysburg Heights Community Association.
The criminal activity spanned from August 2012 to December 2015 and involved $200,000.
Craig was found guilty of using PHCA funds to purchase investment properties of which he claimed the profits would go back to the organization. The purchases were not authorized, and the organization received no benefit.
On April 3, 2020, Craig was sentenced to seven years in prison.
He appealed, claiming insufficient evidence and prosecutorial misconduct. The appeals court reversed the convictions on the money laundering charges, but that didn’t affect the prison sentence.
On June 3, 2021, Craig again filed a petition to vacate his sentence, claiming ineffective counsel. The appeals court denied the request in November 2021.
More recently, he argued that his attorney failed to interview and subpoena witnesses, thus failing to provide competent and effective assistance; his attorney failed to hire a forensic accountant; and he was deprived his right to confront his accusers.
The appeals court ruled on Aug. 26 that each argument could have been raised on direct appeal during the trial and that the common pleas court did not abuse its discretion in denying Craig’s petition to vacate the conviction.
