A federal judge in Columbus has refused to toss out claims by a group of investors suing recently indicted former Board of Regents member C. Dean Alford and several co-defendants, including his ex-wife, after losing millions of dollars in a scheme that’s already seen the one-time Republican state representative disgorge more than $10 million to settle Securities Exchange Commission fraud claims.

Alford was first arrested on fraud charges in October 2019—two weeks before the civil suit was filed—and was indicted by a Rockdale County grand jury in May for racketeering, forgery, computer forgery and attempted theft linked to allegations that he used his position as a regent and president and CEO of Allied Energy Services to defraud investors by falsely telling them his company was owed millions of dollars by state agencies.