Indiana prosecutor dismisses all OmniSource charges

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO) has dismissed all criminal charges and resolution of civil lawsuits pending against OmniSource Corporation.

Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said, “The judge in the pending criminal case has ruled that OmniSource was improperly charged as a corrupt business enterprise under Indiana’s law. Having now carefully reviewed the case, which was initiated by Grand Jury indictment under my predecessor, I can say that the evidence does not support those allegations. There is simply insufficient evidence that OmniSource or its employees knowingly engaged in any unlawful transactions. This office, therefore, will dismiss all pending litigation, and all money seized from OmniSource by criminal investigators will be returned to OmniSource; subject to the terms of the agreement below.”

OmniSource and the MCPO will, instead, work cooperatively together, building upon OmniSource’s training and internal anti-theft programs and procedures, to see mutually beneficial ways to enhance the detection, identification and prosecution of metal thieves in Marion County, Indiana, and to develop a more effective means, through enhanced law enforcement, local scrap dealer training and advocating for various legislative and local ordinance initiatives, to deprive metal thieves in our county of a market for their ill-gotten goods. This might include such things as state law or local ordinance strengthening regarding possible bans on purchasing certain items, such as automobile catalytic converters, clearer definitions of what constitutes a “vehicle” requiring the presentation of a title, and requiring that transactions above a certain dollar amount be paid for other than in cash.

“I also want to make clear,” continued Curry, “that there is no evidence that any of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers who worked part-time for OmniSource at its retail facilities as part of its anti-theft program were involved in any kind of criminal activity. During their service, dozens of arrests were made and police reports filed. There is no evidence that officers either condoned or facilitated the sale of stolen goods.” Subject to current guidelines and the approval of the Department of Public Safety, OmniSource will resume their part-time off-duty scrap theft interdiction positions with OmniSource.

OmniSource and the MCPO will also jointly train scrap company employees throughout Marion County, as well as law enforcement officers and property crime prosecutors in how to spot potentially problematic materials offered for sale, how to properly question the would-be sellers as to the circumstances surrounding their possession of such goods, how to make responsible purchase determinations, and how to properly preserve potential evidence, including a record of who the seller was, should it turn out that purchased materials were in fact stolen.