CINCINNATI — The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio announced on Monday that the office charged a record number of defendants with violent and firearms crimes in fiscal year 2026.

Prosecutors charged 237 defendants with violent crimes and 236 defendants with firearms offenses during the fiscal year, which ran from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. These figures represent the highest number of defendants charged with violent and firearms crimes in the district since at least fiscal year 2004.

Violent crime prosecutions increased by 92.7% districtwide, while firearms offense prosecutions rose by 93.4% compared to fiscal year 2025. In Cincinnati, violent crime prosecutions increased by 148.5% and firearms offender prosecutions increased by 250%. Columbus saw a 67.8% increase in violent crime prosecutions and a 62.7% increase in firearms offense prosecutions. Dayton recorded an 80.6% increase in violent crime prosecutions and a 71.1% increase in firearms offense prosecutions.

"My tenure began amid a significant uptick in violent and gun crimes, particularly in downtown Cincinnati, and I promised the public that we would aggressively pursue federal charges against those offenders," U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II said. "The statistics show that we have done just that."

Gerace credited strong partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for the results. "None of these cases are possible without strong partnerships with our local, state and federal law enforcement agencies who investigate these crimes," he said.

White-collar defendant prosecutions in the Southern District of Ohio increased by 46.3% districtwide in fiscal year 2026 compared to the prior year. The office charged 60 defendants with white-collar crimes, including 19 in Cincinnati, 32 in Columbus, and nine in Dayton.

Charges were brought in a Medicaid fraud scheme involving $30 million and a SNAP fraud scheme involving $29.7 million. "The fight against fraud, especially fraud against taxpayer-funded government benefits programs, is a top priority for this Office," Gerace said.

Why It Matters

This surge represents a near doubling of such cases districtwide compared to the prior year, with Cincinnati seeing a 250% increase in firearms offender prosecutions. Simultaneously, a 46.3% rise in white-collar prosecutions includes charges related to fraud schemes involving nearly $60 million in taxpayer funds.