Former OHP trooper sentenced in mortgage fraud case

A former State Highway Patrol trooper will serve four years and two months in prison after pleading guilty to his role in a mortgage-fraud scheme in Franklin County. 47-year-old Benjamin Richardson was sentenced Monday on five counts of mortgage fraud, two counts of bankruptcy fraud and one count of witness tampering. Prosecutors say Richardson received at least 46-thousand dollars in kickbacks as part of the conspiracy that cost lenders nearly 617-thousand dollars in faulty loans or refinancing on four properties.