MEDINA COUNTY, Ohio — A state investigation has determined that an Ohio Department of Transportation engineer allegedly submitted inaccurate information in a federal funding application that helped secure $2 million for a Medina County roundabout project.
The Office of the Ohio Inspector General released a report on August 21 saying it found “reasonable cause to believe a wrongful act or omission occurred” in connection with a Medina County project application for federal funding to build a roundabout at the intersection of State Route 162 and River Styx Road.
According to the report released following a complaint filed in February 2024, investigators reviewed allegations that the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Medina County Engineer’s Office submitted a fraudulent application under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program. The complaint claimed the application included false information, including an inaccurate traffic performance measure known as “level of service” for the existing intersection.
The Inspector General’s investigation focused on ODOT District 3 Planning Engineer Scott Ockunzzi, but investigators ultimately determined Ockunzzi was neither the applicant nor an authorized signatory on the 2021 CMAQ application submitted to the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). That application listed Medina County Engineer Andrew Conrad as the official applicant and signatory.
Emails reviewed by investigators showed Ockunzzi and Conrad exchanged information before Conrad submitted the final application.
According to the report, the Medina County Engineer’s Office certified that all representations in the application were true and accurate.
You can read the full report from the Ohio Inspector General here.
The State of Ohio is turning over the report to the U.S. Department of Transportation for consideration.
