Harry Blausey Released From Prison...

NEWARK — A Newark man convicted of a mortgage scam in 2008 was released from prison Monday after serving more than half of his four-and-a-half year sentence.
Harry Blausey, 69, of Newark, was convicted of 26 felony counts for convincing people to sign over deeds to their homes on the premise that Blausey would negotiate with their mortgage companies to avoid defaulting on debts.
Licking County Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas Marcelain granted his early release after Blausey paid restitution to victims.
Marcelain, who has denied Blausey’s earlier requests, sentenced Blausey to three years of community control Monday. If he violates the terms of his probation, he could be returned to prison.
Neither defense attorney Daniel Arnold nor Licking County Assistant Prosecutor Duke Frost knew how much money Blausey had paid in restitution. Licking County Adult Court Services had received $2,850 for the case, Chief Probation Officer Kelly Miller said.
Other victims sued Blausey for money and those settlements aren’t always public record.
“It was difficult to put a number on,” Marcelain said.
Blausey, a former real estate agent, made money by renting out the homes until they were sold at auction. Jurors found Blausey guilty after a four-day trial.
“He led us to believe he was going to sell our home,” Craig Ottman said. He wasn’t aware anything was wrong until a letter from a mortgage company told him to vacate the house, Ottman said.
The Ottmans were the sole couple not reimbursed through civil lawsuits or restitution from the criminal case, Marcelain said. Their situation will be reviewed.
Marcelain said restitution was the most important objection, but he was not impressed by Blausey’s conduct while in prison.
Blausey received 29 conduct reports for poor behavior, 14 of which resulted in penalties. He instigated a fight with another prisoner, calling him a “no-good hearing-aid thief.” He refused to return a bucket, clean his cell and return to the dorm.
At one point he attempted to flood his cell while in segregation, according to the summary report.
“I have never seen a worse Institutional Summary Report than yours. I’m not sure if you added all of them up they’d be worse than yours,” Marcelain said.
Blausey’s attorney, Arnold, said his client had problems following orders after more than 60 years of freedom.
“He found that transition quite difficult as you can see,” said Arnold, adding that there were no violations since January 2010.
In a December filing, Frost was against Blausey’s early release, but he was not opposed Monday. Others were released after serving less time, he added.
“It’s a white-collar crime,” Frost said. “Quite frankly, he has done half the time.”