OSU marketing expert accused of illegal trades

9/1/2004

COLUMBUS - Roger Blackwell, a marketing professor at Ohio State University and a nationally known marketing expert and author, has been indicted on charges of leaking secret details of a merger that federal authorities say generated $880,000 in illegal profits through stock trading.

Mr. Blackwell, 64, is accused of sharing information with family and friends about the pending acquisition of Worthington Foods while he was a member of its board.

A federal grand jury issued a 48-count indictment Thursday against Mr. Blackwell, four others, and a business. The indictment was unsealed yesterday, the same day the defendants appeared before a federal magistrate.