Sunday, March 11, 2012

Ex-Ohio Commissioner Convicted of Bribery and Taking Gifts Including Prostitutes

Jimmy Dimora
By Allan Lengel

Make that number 50.

Ex-Cuyahoga County, Ohio, commissioner Jimmy Dimora was convicted Friday on public corruption charges that involved taking bribes and gifts and prostitutes.
He becomes the 50th person  convicted in an ongoing  federal investigation into corruption in Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland.

A federal jury convicted him of racketeering, bribery, conspiracy, Hobbs Act conspiracy, tax charges and other crimes. Co-defendant Michael Gabor, 52, was also conviced.
Both men were ordered detained.

Authorities said that 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.

In exchange, he Dimora helped 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.

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