A former Franklin County judge is among six people who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars when an unlicensed securities dealer made risky investments on their behalf, according to an indictment filed last week.

Harland Hale, who served as the Municipal Court's environmental judge from 2003 to 2013, was identified as a victim in the indictment of Jeffrey B. Hall, 54, who is accused of leading the investors to believe that he was still licensed.

Hall, of East Oak Street in the Downtown Discovery District, faces 30 counts of unlawful securities practices, two counts of theft and one count of attempted unlawful securities practices. Ten of the counts are first-degree felonies because of the amount of money involved.

Hall let his license, issued by the state Department of Commerce's securities division, lapse at the end of 2011, Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said.

The indictment alleges that from January 2012 until as recently as July, Hall made misrepresentations and failed to disclose his lack of a license to the six victims as he continued to manage their accounts.

Risky investments during the period resulted in combined losses of more than $500,000 for the victims, O'Brien said. The amount lost by each individual is not revealed in the indictment.

Hale is one of two victims identified in the indictment, both in connection with the theft counts. Victims are not named in any of the other counts.

O'Brien said other victims weren't identified at this point because the securities division's investigation is ongoing and additional victims could be included in a future indictment. He said he is unaware of any victims from the legal community other than Hale.

Hale was appointed to fill a vacancy on the bench in February 2003 and twice was elected to six-year terms before retiring in May 2013 after the Ohio Supreme Court disciplinary counsel filed a complaint against him.

The court's Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline suspended his license to practice law in November 2014 for six months after finding that he fixed a speeding ticket for a fellow lawyer and attempted to cover up his actions. His license was reinstated in July 2016.

Hale could not be reached for comment Tusesday.

jfutty@dispatch.com

@johnfutty