LISBON  Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a lawsuit to dissolve a Columbiana County religious-based charity created 23 years ago to help individuals recover from addiction.

The complaint was filed in common pleas court on Thursday against nonprofit Lamb's House Inc., seeking its dissolution and the appointment of a receiver to manage its remaining assets.

The lawsuit alleges the organization's president misused charitable funds for personal expenses and lived rent-free on the nonprofit's 43-acre property in Rogers, Ohio.

The nonprofit, formed in 2002, describes itself as a ministry supporting addiction recovery. The organization owns a property that includes a nine-bedroom residence, a 13,000-square-foot commercial building, and two barns.

The complaint states that the property has not been used for any charitable purpose since at least 2017 and that the residence has served only as a home for its president, Mark Altomare.

The AG's office alleges that Altomare, the organization's founder and sole employee, used the charity's accounts for personal, noncharitable purchases between January 2022 and September 2024.

The documented improper expenditures included approximately $14,850 for Sam's Club, $3,425 for Walmart, $5,300 for restaurant food and drink, and $3,335 for Hulu subscriptions.

Utility payments, including approximately $2,980 for Comcast and $20,212 for First Energy electricity, were also allegedly paid for the property that was not being used for charitable work.

The complaint accuses the board members—Altomare, Jo Propri, and Randy Clark—of neglecting their oversight duties and allowing Altomare to have total control of the organization's charitable funds. As a result, the nonprofit’s bank accounts were reduced to a balance of $3,067.70 as of September 2024.

The AG's Charitable Law Section is pursuing claims, including breach of fiduciary duties, against all defendants.

The Attorney General's lawsuit follows a separate tax foreclosure action against Lamb's House property. The Columbiana County Treasurer filed the foreclosure case in March after the property accrued $50,740 in delinquent taxes, assessments, and penalties.

A sheriff's sale for the property, located at 9955 Union Ridge Road, was conducted on July 15. However, the sale was set aside, and the foreclosure case was dismissed by a court order on Aug. 1 after the delinquent taxes were paid.