DeWine says Cargill and Morton Salt bilked the state out of $50 million over the course of a decade by colluding to inflate salt prices.

“It’s just a very sad thing, and it’s sad commentary on the intelligence they think Ohio taxpayers have, that they could get away with this year after year,” DeWine says.

A spokesman for Cargill denies the claims and says an inspector general investigation last year found no wrongdoing.