Posted on 04/26/2010 3:08:53 PM PDT by freespirited
Accompanied by her lawyer, a nervous-looking Alyssa Lenhoff walked into the Franklin County Municipal Court Monday to plead guilty to state ethics charges.
At one point, she appeared on the verge of tears as the judge accepted her plea and told the wife of Ohio's former attorney general, "it gives me no pleasure to meet you here."
Lenhoff was given a suspended jail sentence and fined $1,000 and court costs.
The single count of having an unlawful interest in a public contract dealt with her work to obtain a $6,500 grant from the Ohio Attorney General's Office while her now-estranged husband, Marc Dann, was in office. The money would have helped pay for a course at Youngstown State University, where she heads the journalism department.
After the hearing, Lenhoff told reporters "I didn't know at the time that it was a problem, but I do now and I'm really sorry."
Prosecutors with the Ohio Ethics Commission said Lenhoff worked with Edgar Simpson, who was her husband's chief of staff at the time, to secure the grant. Although staffers repeatedly questioned both the size of the request as well as Lenhoff's position at YSU and her relationship with her husband, authorities claim the application was pushed through anyway.
The grant, however, was rescinded after it had been awarded. David Freel, of the Ohio Ethics Commission, said Simpson "represented that a deal was done," even before the money had been awarded.
While Lenhoff said she's hoping to put this case behind her and get back to her job at YSU, authorities said their work is not yet finished and that Lenhoff is cooperating in what could be an investigation of her estranged husband.
As she left the courtroom, she admitted it was strange being the one answering reporters' questions.
"There's a lot to learn from this," she said. "It's an interesting dynamic."
On second thought, I guess not.
They hardly ever remember to add that word to crime stories.
“I didn’t know at the time that it was a problem, but I do now and I’m really sorry.” “
Gee, that works for me everytime I get stopped by a cop, how about you all?
Yeah, funny how there is never any party identification of these criminals.
Silly Party?
Sensible Party?
This is an ABC affiliate: hence the dishonesty.
Maybe someone should email the reporter and let him/her know that these are Democrats.
I’ll take Democrat for $1000 Alex! *sarcasm*
No mention of party in title, subtitle, first sentence, or first paragraph...therefore its a democrat.
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