Free Republic

AKRON, Ohio – Jimmy Dimora is guilty of racketeering -- and all but one of the 34 federal charges he was facing. That's the verdict from a federal jury on the three dozen charges on which the panel is deciding today at the John F. Seiberling Federal Building and U.S. District Court. Dimora was found not guilty, however, on Count 30 in the indictment, for allegedly defrauding his campaign fund out of money by having Executive Caterers bill the fund for a birthday party for Dimora's wife. The verdicts were read this afternoon on 26 charges relating to Dimora alone,...

With the past few days given over to Democratic triumphalism, the reality is that the big picture remains roughly the same for Democrats. In Ohio, it's getting so bad for Democrats that the Democratic Governors Association, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee are actively weighing their level of commitment.Public and private polling from the state suggests that Democrats will lose the governor's mansion, currently held by Ted Strickland, the Senate race (for an open seat that was held by a Republican), and at least four House races (OH 01, OH 15, OH 13, OH 16)....

It is a shocking and emblematic photograph that could be of New York City's Boss Tweed, 140 years later: Jimmy Dimora, the most powerful man in Cuyahoga County politics, led away in manacles to FBI headquarters, to federal court, and into infamy. But the picture painted by the 177 pages in indictments made public Wednesday against eight suspects -- including Cuyahoga County commissioner Dimora and two county judges -- is even more shocking, alleging what could be one of the biggest local political-machine corruption cases in recent U.S. history.It also, for the first time, implicates a second commissioner, Peter Lawson...

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - Complete County Corruption Investigation Four FBI agents have entered the house of County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora Wednesday morning and took him away in handcuffs. NewsChannel5 saw the agents enter his Independence home and drive him away in handcuffs. The agents arrived in two vehicles and knocked on the door for a few minutes before someone eventually answered. The agents then entered the home, and left with Dimora in handcuffs. FBI spokesman Scott Wilson confirmed that they are making arrests this morning, but did not confirm if Dimora was arrested. Dimora is considered to be the top target...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Federal prosecutors charged County Auditor Frank Russo in a 21-count information filed this morning in U.S. District Court in Cleveland. Russo, 60, of Bratenahl, resigned early today. He is expected to plead guilty to bribery and obstruction charges, according to sources, based on an agreement that would resolve all issues related to both the longtime Democratic politician and his son, Vince. Although the plea agreement has not been made public, it will include a substantial sentence for Russo that could have been cut in half had he agreed to cooperate with the government against others, according to...

For four years, Cuyahoga County taxpayers have asked questions about the commissioners' controversial $40 million purchase and renovation of the Ameritrust complex downtown, questions that have grown louder since federal investigators revealed a massive government corruption probe a year ago. A Plain Dealer review of county records and federal plea agreements shows a lawyer and construction firm accused of paying bribes in several corruption schemes also played key roles in the purchase of the Ameritrust complex. The Ameritrust deal has been a debacle for the county. The involvement of lawyer Anthony O. Calabrese III and R.P. Carbone Co. in the...

CLEVELAND — Federal prosecutors this morning charged a Cleveland construction contractor with bribing Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora with $33,000 in cash, lawn work, Cavs and Indians tickets and hundreds of dollars in meals and drinks for county contracts. The charges said an unnamed public official whose description matches Dimora helped Steve Pumper's company, D-A-S Construction, obtain work on county projects, including brownfield and public housing projects. The bribery charges were filed in U.S. District Court, and they allege that Pumper also used bribes to win contracts in Parma schools. They say he paid former board President J. Kevin Kelley...

CLEVELAND -- Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora on Monday accused the U.S. Department of Justice of launching its local public corruption probe two years ago in a conspiracy with Republicans to undermine the Democratic turnout for Barack Obama. • Earlier version of story.Dimora said he and his lawyers will ask the Justice Department and Congress to investigate the motives behind the corruption probe, which became public last July when FBI agents raided the commissioner's home and office and the home and office of political ally Frank Russo, the county auditor. "This is a Republican-driven prosecution," Dimora said during a late-afternoon...

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - Developing news surrounding embattled politician Jimmy Dimora. County Commissioner Dimora called an afternoon news conference to urge the feds to launch an investigation into the feds! Dimora maintains his innocence and says he will not resign. He claims he has done nothing different than other elected officials. When questioned about any wrongdoing, Dimora responded, "I'm no angel but I'm no crook." The leader of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party announced he was stepping down last week. Commissioner Dimora - a key player in a sweeping federal corruption probe - announced he's taking a leave of absence...

Cleveland) - Multiple search warrants are being executed across Cuyahoga County today by the FBI and the IRS. Cleveland Special Agent In Charge Frank Figliuzzi tells Newsradio WTAM 1100 it's part of a long-running public corruption investigation. Figliuzzi says the affidavit supporting the search warrant are sealed, so he cannot go into further details. Figliuzzi did say that it is a broad-ranging investigation looking at the highest levels of Cuyahoga County government. County Administrator Jim McCafferty confirms that the office of County Commissioner Jimmy DiMora was among those searched. DiMora's home was also searched, as was the home of Auditor...