Former Cuyahoa County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora Convicted of Racketeering
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 09, 2012 |
CLEVELAND—A jury convicted former Cuyahoga County, Ohio Commissioner Jimmy Dimora of racketeering, bribery, conspiracy, Hobbs Act conspiracy, tax charges, and other crimes, federal law enforcement officials announced today.
Co-defendant Michael Gabor, 52, of Parma, Ohio, was also convicted of racketeering, conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion, obstruction of justice, and other crimes following a trial before U.S. District Judge Sarah Lioi that lasted nearly two months.
Judge Lioi ordered both men detained.
Dimora, 56, of Independence, Ohio, was convicted on 33 counts, while Gabor was convicted on seven counts.
Fifty people—including two judges, the county auditor, and now a former county commissioner—have now been convicted in the federal investigation into corruption in Cuyahoga County. Cuyahoga County is the largest county in Ohio and includes Cleveland.
Dimora took more than $166,000 worth of bribes in the form of cash, home improvements, lavish meals at high-end restaurants, services from prostitutes, gambling trips to Las Vegas and Canada, and other items, according to testimony.
The bribes were paid in exchange for Dimora’s efforts to steer contracts to allies, get jobs and raises for associates, intercede with judges on pending cases, lobby for grants and favorable loans for people who paid him, and other official actions, according to testimony.
Gabor was convicted for his role in orchestrating a sham election against his then-boss, Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo, paying a cash bribe to get his job and paying a bribe to a domestic relations judge as part of Gabor’s divorce case.
Russo has already pleaded guilty for his role in the conspiracy and has been sentenced to more than 21 years in prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antoinette T. Bacon, Ann C. Rowland, and Nancy L. Kelley following an investigation by the FBI and Internal Revenue Service (IRS)–Criminal Investigation. The case agents were FBI Special Agents R. Michael Massie and Christine C. Oliver and IRS Special Agent Kelly Fatula.
The Cuyahoga County corruption investigation is ongoing.