Philip Sturts stated that Amy Acton was sexually abused by their birth mother's husband at age 12.
Posted by Badlands Media, Checked
- Sources
- 8 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 85%
Badlands MediaOct 21, 2026
Philip Stearns, the brother, did state in the campaign's released statement that Acton endured sexual abuse at 12 from their birth mother's husband, and court and police records reported by several outlets show the stepfather was arrested and indicted for raping Acton at 12.
What was said
… Um, and her campaign, I guess, put out a statement from her brother, Philip Sturts, released the following statement condemning Ramaswamy's attempt to platform their estranged and abusive mother, saying, quote, "It's not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse that Amy endured at 12 years old from our birth mother's husband into a political talking point," says Philip Stearns. "After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died. …
Badlands Media · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Multiple tier-1 outlets report that Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, issued a statement through Acton's campaign saying the sexual abuse Amy endured at 12 came from their birth mother's husband, and that the mother stayed married to 'Amy's rapist' until he died.[1][2][4][5]
Supports. Snopes rates as True the account that Acton's stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was charged with raping her when she was 12, and that the mother remained married to him until 2004.[3]
Supports. According to court and police records, Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged with raping Acton in July 1978, when she was 12, and was indicted but never tried.[6][7][8]
Context. Snopes notes that without a conviction it cannot definitively confirm the rape, and sources describe the abuse window slightly differently (ages 9 to 12 or 10 to 12). These details do not change the core claim that the brother made the statement.[3][5][9]
Sources
9 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 2 tier 2, 1 tier 1, 3 not rated
- 1Democrat in Ohio governor's race pushes back against unattributed ad featuring her estranged motherapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2What Ramaswamy's Ohio governor's race ad with Amy Acton's mom ...politifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Court records prove Amy Acton accurately described abusive childhoodsnopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 4Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine calls on Vivek Ramaswamy to take down ...nbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Amy Acton's Pedophile-Protecting Mother Calls Her A 'Liar' In ...huffpost.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 6Acton's mother was convicted of theft, animal cruelty: What to knowthehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 7Amy Acton’s Stepfather Was Charged with Raping Her When She ...people.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 8Amy Acton’s stepfather fled a rape charge. Prosecution was ...cleveland.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 9Democrat Amy Acton’s estranged mother calls her liar in ad; court documents say otherwisenews5cleveland.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Amy Acton was removed from her mother's custody at age twelve after her stepfather was criminally charged with raping her.True
- Amy Acton experienced homelessness and lived in a tent in the winter during her childhood.True
- Dharma Arthur stated that Amy Acton lied about growing up in a tent.True
- Amy Acton's driver's license was suspended due to a misdemeanor.Mixed
- Amy Acton is a candidate for Governor of Ohio.True