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The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office (CCPO) has received eight SAKI awards totaling over $12 million in funding. Initially funded in FY2015, Cuyahoga County has used their SAKI funding to achieve many milestones and successes, including the following:
The Cuyahoga County SAKI team has continued to utilize SAKI funding to retain over a dozen key personnel and to hire new staff members. Additionally, the funding has been used to support Cuyahoga County SAK Task Force meetings, conduct thousands of investigations, pay for forensic genealogy searches on a sample of indicted John Doe cases, and provide trainings for task force members.
In FY2020, the team received an additional $1 million in SAKI funding to continue tasks from their previous SAKI awards. This latest round of funding will also be used to conduct advanced DNA testing and research methodologies to help identify and apprehend violent serial offenders.
In FY2021, CCPO received an additional $1,395,078 in SAKI funding to continue investigations and prosecutions on SAKI casework. Funding will be utilized to continue supporting multidisciplinary personnel, though it will mainly be applied to Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) for 40 cases of the existing 181 John Doe indictments, as well as to some of the 517 DNA profiles that have been identified in Cuyahoga County homicide cases through the use of the Combined DNA Index System. The site will also continue to leverage community partnerships and enter cases into the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program.
In FY2022, CCPO was awarded an additional $2.5 million in SAKI funding to support investigative leads in 29 cases that have undergone FGG testing and to prosecute an additional group of John Doe indictments. Funding will also be utilized to prosecute cases sent to CCPO from the City of Cleveland SAKI project.
In FY2023, SAKI awarded CCPO $2.5 million to fully leverage evidence from unsolved violent cold case crimes. CCPO will use funds to conduct an inventory of unsolved violent crimes in Cleveland; identify and locate evidence from unresolved violent crimes; submit evidence for forensic analysis, up to and including forensic genetic genealogy testing; investigate and prosecute forensic leads; and conduct, document, and disseminate research and evaluations on the process and outcome of these efforts.
For more information on the specific SAKI awards for this site, see the table below.
| Year | Amount | Purpose Area |
|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | $1,993,741 | Comprehensive Approach to Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits |
| FY2016 | $2,000,000 | Comprehensive Approach to Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits |
| FY2016 | $1,000,000 | Expansion of DNA Databases to Assist with Sexual Assault Investigations and Prosecutions: Collection of Lawfully Owed DNA from Convicted Offenders and Arrestee DNA Collections |
| FY2018 | $2,000,000 | Comprehensive Approach to Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits |
| FY2019 | $2,000,000 | Comprehensive Approach to Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits |
| FY2019 | $1,000,000 | Expansion of DNA Databases to Assist with Sexual Assault Investigations and Prosecutions: Collection of Lawfully Owed DNA from Convicted Offenders and Arrestee DNA Collections |
| FY2020 | $1,000,000 | Investigation and Prosecution of Cold Case Sexual Assaults |
| FY2021 | $1,395,078 | Comprehensive Approach to Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits |
| FY2022 | $2,500,000 | Comprehensive Approach to Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits |
| FY2023 | $2,500,000 | National Cold Case Initiative |
Please direct all media inquiries to:
To learn more about the progress of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, read the following news and events.
Newly Awarded $2.5 Million Grant Will Assist G.O.L.D. Unit in Solving Cleveland’s Unsolved Violent Crimes
— Michael C. O'Malley, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, Sep 28, 2023
"Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office (CCPO) G.O.L.D. Unit was awarded a 2023 BJA National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Grant – a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance’s National Cold Case Initiative. The grant will assist in investigating and prosecuting unsolved violent crimes in Cleveland. “I am honored that our G.O.L.D. Unit has received the 2023 BJA National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Grant,” said Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley. “Our G.O.L.D. Unit has shown continued success with their initiatives, and we look forward to expanding that success by providing assistance in solving cold case violent crimes in Cleveland.”
G.O.L.D. Unit Defendant Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Two Victims in 1994 and 1998
— Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Mar 1, 2023
"Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that the defendant Leo Bradley Scott III, 61, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting two women in 1994 and 1998. The arrest was the result of the efforts of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Office’s G.O.L.D. Unit (Genetic Operations Linking DNA).
“This individual was able to evade justice due to his prior rape conviction occurring before CODIS existed,” said Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley. “He assaulted two additional women over 20 years ago, and now through the great work of our G.O.L.D. Unit and our law enforcement partners, he will deservedly serve time behind bars.”"
Cold case solved: Man sentenced to 9 years in prison for 1999 sexual assault
— Fox 8, Feb 16, 2023
A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for the sexual assault of a 33-year-old woman in 1999.
“Today’s sentencing shows just how important the work of our G.O.L.D. Unit is,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said in the release. “Through their work and the work of our agency partners, after 23 years, we were able to bring this offender to justice and hopefully provide the victim with some long overdue closure.”
Elyria man pleads guilty in 1999 Cleveland rape case
— The Chronicle-Telegram, Jan 15, 2023
"An Elyria man has pleaded guilty in a Cuyahoga County courtroom to raping a woman in Cleveland in 1999, a case solved by DNA testing.
It wasn't until 2013 after prosecutors assembled their Sexual Assault Kit Task Force that previously unsubmitted rape kits from 1993 to 2011, including that of the victim in the 1999 rape, were tested by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation."
Tracking down a serial rapist: how prosecutors solved two cold-case rapes
— Sara Goldenberg , 19 News, May 27, 2021
It took more than a decade, but a serial rapist has been caught thanks to DNA evidence and the work of the Cuyahoga County SAKI Task Force and will now spend 35 years behind bars.
Newly Launched G.O.L.D. Unit in Cuyahoga County: Using Forensic Genetic Genealogy to Identify Most-Wanted Cold Case Rapists
— Carol Bingham, Promega, Feb 10, 2021
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office has established their G.O.L.D Unit which will specifically focus on utilizing genetic genealogy and collecting lawfully owed DNA to solve SAKI related cases and cold case homicides.
Serial Cleveland rapist pleads guilty to raping two women, gets 20 years tacked onto already lengthy sentence
— Cory Shaffer, Cleveland.com, Jan 12, 2021
Investigators tied man already in prison to two attacks from the mid-2000's in Cleveland, OH through DNA evidence in previously untested rape kits as part of the Sexual Assault Kit Task Force. He was sentenced to another 20 years in prison.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutors find a way to keep hope alive for sexual assault victims in cases where suspects are still unidentified decades later
— Hannah Catlette, 19 News, Oct 22, 2020
The Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office says it’s armed with new resources they say will help them track down violent rapists, who have yet to face punishment. They have created a map with pins for each of their top 20 unsolved cold case sexual assaults.
Casual chat between prosecutors triggers indictment for a 1975 New Orleans rape
— Orleans Parish DA's Office, Oct 8, 2020
District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s office on Thursday (Oct. 8) secured an indictment against a man linked by DNA results to the 1975 sexual assault of a Tulane University student who was raped at gunpoint in her Uptown New Orleans apartment. The 45-year old case was cracked open based on conversations between Cuyahoga County SAKI site and Orleans Parish SAKI site during the 2019 Assembly of Cities.
Impact of Victim Advocacy Integration on Cold Case Investigations: Lessons Learned from the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force
— Misty Luminais, PhD | Rachel Lovell, PhD | Margaret McGuire Joanna Klingenstein | Angela Kavadas | Laura Overman, Case Western University, Jul 23, 2020
New research brief from Cuyahoga County, OH SAKI site .
Outcomes from Efforts to Swab Offenders Who Lawfully “Owe” DNA in Cuyahoga County
— Case Western Reserve University, Jul 10, 2019
This research brief describes the results of the cleveland SAKI site collecting lawfully owed DNA.
Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force nears indictment in 800th victim's case: By the numbers
— Rachel Dissell, Cleveland.com, Mar 10, 2019
As of the end of February, the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Task Force has completed 4,179 investigations, 719 defendants have been indicted, and 92.7% of the cases that made it to court resulted in a conviction.
Legacy of ‘redlining’: How 1930s Cleveland mortgage-lending maps mirror today’s poverty
— Colin McEwen, The Daily, Jul 5, 2018
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University analyzed banking and lending maps of Cleveland from the 1930s and found that locations where unsubmitted SAKs were the highest are the same neighborhoods with the highest levels of lead found in the blood of children.
Fallen through the cracks:' Overdue DNA swabs link to murders, sexual assaults
— Rachel Dissell, The Plain Dealer, May 13, 2018
A project to collect swabs of DNA from more than 500 Cuyahoga County probationers whose DNA was not in the state database has led to 21 hits to crimes so far, including 2 murders and seven sexual assaults.
Collaborative Partnerships in the Testing of Unsubmitted SAKS
— Dan Clark and Rachel Lovell, The Police Chief, Mar 23, 2018
Through funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, law enforcement agencies across the country can form collaborative working relations with local academic institutions. This article highlights the productive law enforcement-academic collaboration in Cuyahoga County, Ohio as well as findings from their current research.
SAKI Makes Forensic Magazine Headlines
— Forensic Magazine, Jan 16, 2018
As 2018 ushers in another year of coordinated sexual assault response for SAKI grantees, Forensic Magazine reflected on SAKI's legacy to test all unsubmitted sexual assault kits and pursue prosecutions in Cuyahoga County (OH), Memphis (TN), and Phoenix (AZ). SAKI Director and Senior Forensic Policy Advisor at the Office of Justice Programs, Dr. Angela Williamson, was interviewed as part of the magazine's "Rape Kits in America" series. Read all 3 parts for a full picture of today's challenges and successes.
$2 million federal grant to help Cleveland police test older rape kits, support victims
— Rachel Dissell, Cleveland.com, Oct 5, 2017
A grand jury recently indicted Nathan Ford for a 2003 rape after testing previously unsubmitted SAKs. Ford has already been convicted of 3 other rapes based on earlier batches of rape kits sent for testing.
New cases linked to man convicted of raping dozens of women
— Jack Shea, FOX 8 Cleveland, Sep 20, 2017
A grand jury recently indicted Nathan Ford for a 2003 rape after testing previously unsubmitted SAKs. Ford has already been convicted of 3 other rapes based on earlier batches of rape kits sent for testing.
With 600th rape kit indictment, Prosecutor Michael O'Malley reflects on two ways to stop serial crimes
— Rachel Dissell, Cleveland.com, Jul 25, 2017
Thanks to the testing of backlogged rape kits by Cuyahoga County, a decade old crime can now move forward toward prosecution. The prosecutors also have high hopes for a county-led effort that will use an online interface to share investigative information between law enforcement and prosecution. To learn more, read the full article.
'Missed opportunities' provide lessons for better rape investigations and prosecutions
— Rachel Dissell, Cleveland.com, Feb 10, 2017
Researchers in the Begun Research Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University are working with the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task force to draw important lessons learned from prosecuting cold cases that did not make it to court. To learn more about their key findings read the full story.
Familial-DNA testing used for first time in Ohio in suspected serial-abductor case: Q&A
— Adam Ferrise, Cleveland.com, Dec 5, 2016
Familial DNA testing, used for the first time in Ohio, helped law enforcement to identify and arrest a man accused of serial rape and abduction. Familial DNA can help identify possible male relatives by matching the Y chromosomes, which can, in turn, provide law enforcement with a relative of a criminal suspect. Although police cannot arrest someone based on familial DNA evidence alone, they can use it to retrieve much needed clues. To learn more, read the full article.
It's official: testing rape kits prevents assault and saves everybody millions
— Janet Burns, Forbes, Sep 14, 2016
Research out of Case Western Reserve University in Ohio suggests that testing rape kits can actually save the public money. Not only have the results of testing convicted over 520 defendants so far, but research suggests that sexual assaults prevented by testing the backlogged rape kits will “save the county’s would-be victims an estimated $48.3 million, or $200,000 each, in pain and suffering, medical expenditures, earnings lost due to injury, and decreased quality of life. Less the approximately $9.6 million cost of testing Cuyahoga County’s passed-over kits, the team says, the Northeast Ohio area would already net a savings of $38.7 million, not to mention an estimated 1,290 indictments and 947 convictions.” To learn more, read the full article.
Department of Justice awards $2 million to Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force
— Cuyahoga County Office of the Prosecutor, Sep 10, 2016
Rape kit data yield major implications for sexual assault investigations
— Case Western Reserve University, Phys.org, Jun 6, 2016
Read about how the Cuyahoga Sexual Assault Kit Task Force partnered with researchers from the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University. While the Cuyahoga Task Force tested nearly 5,000 sexual assault kits and convicted more than 250 offenders, researchers studied those cases to educate communities about the criminal history of rapists and the serial nature of many offenders.
Ohio tests 10,000 rape kits to clear backlogs, hundreds indicted
— Reuters.com, Feb 18, 2016
Ohio and Cuyahoga County get $4 million to test rape kits and put attackers behind bars
— cleveland.com, Sep 11, 2015
Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative aims to create a coordinated community response that ensures just resolution to sexual assault cases. Through this program, funding is provided to support multidisciplinary community response teams engaged in the comprehensive reform of jurisdictions approaches to sexual assault cases resulting from evidence found in previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits.
