Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates, whose office tried the case, said the idea that theft charges should have been left off the table was “ridiculous.” “The profits could have tripled or quadrupled, but he still took money,” she said. “He still used it for his own benefit.”

“I was the only Democrat in the whole circle of this case,” Ms. Bates said. “The U.S. attorney was a Republican. The [state] attorney general was a Republican. The state auditor, Betty Montgomery, was a Republican. Tom Charles, the inspector general, was a Republican. [Franklin County Prosecutor] Ron O’Brien was a Republican.