Ex-judge from Mentor arrested in sex sting

Justin Dennis
·1 min read
10

LISBON, Ohio (WJW) — A real estate title attorney and former part-time acting judge from Mentor was arrested during an undercover sex sting in Columbiana County.

Jeffrey McGaffick, 62, of Mentor, is now facing charges of engaging in prostitution and possession of criminal tools, according to a Thursday news release from Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.

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McGaffrick’s Cleveland-area practice includes real estate title work, according to the release. He said he also has served as a part-time acting judge on the Mentor Municipal Court bench.

Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene, whose office operates the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, announced the arrest on Thursday. The task force was assisted by Salem city police officers, according to the release.

McGaffrick is the second local attorney to be arrested by that task force this year, according to the release. A February 2024 sex sting picked up a 72-year-old private defense lawyer from Macedonia.

Kenneth Martin was charged in the county’s municipal court with first-degree misdemeanor counts of engaging in prostitution and possession of criminal tools, to which he pleaded not guilty. He was released on a $2,500 personal recognizance bond, court records show. He’s due back in court on May 13.

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The website for the law firm associated with Martin states it specializes in defending prostitution and solicitation charges, according to the release.

“It’s sometimes the people you’d least expect who drive the demand for human trafficking,” Yost is quoted in a news release on that case. “A lawyer should know better — don’t buy sex in Ohio.”

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