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Press Release

Benjamin Suarez Sentenced to more than a Year in Prison

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio

Benjamin Suarez was sentenced to 15 months in prison for obstruction of justice, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland Office.

Suarez, 73, of Canton, was convicted in June of one count of obstruction of justice following a jury trial. Suarez was acquitted on seven counts related to campaign finance laws.

"The judge was correct that this defendant's criminal conduct struck at critical part of our democracy, our justice system," Dettelbach said "This sentence sends a simple message: no one is above the law."

"Benjamin Suarez has been held accountable for impeding the pursuit of justice," Anthony said. "It is imperative that law enforcement be able to fulfill their sworn duties when investigating any possible violation of the law." 

Judge Patricia A. Gaughan also sentenced Suarez to two years of supervised release and fined him $15,000.

This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI-Canton Resident Agency. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carole S. Rendon, Rebecca Lutzko and Matthew Cronin.

Updated March 18, 2015