Frank Russo charged, to plead guilty in corruption case (Cleveland: how much, bars)

[hertz]

Federal prosecutors charge Auditor Frank Russo in 21-count information


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 a source familiar with the deal.
The deal will likely call for Russo to spend 20 or more years in prison, according to sources. That very well could mean Russo will spend the rest of his life behind bars for his refusal to turn on others.



Federal prosecutors charge Auditor Frank Russo in 21-count information | cleveland.com

[WeSoHood]

He gets some "street cred" for not snitching. His family will definitely be "taken care of".

[Flee to the Cleve]

Finally, they take a big man down. How much longer until Jimmy Dimora gets charged?

[Euclidbuck]

Frank Russo is a flaming homosexual. He left his wife and kids. He is a scumbag. Not saying his is a scumbag for being gay, but for ditching his wife and kids like that.

I saw him at the Feast and he was with some dudes that were like, overly drunk and flamboyant and stuff. Not the type of behavior you'd expect out of a Mr. Russo.

[billmesh]

I couldn't care less if he was gay or not... but what I do care about are his federal charges. I knew for a long time that this was coming and I feel that despite the fact that he won't testify against his homeboy, Jimmy D... Jimmy D will indeed go down. Russo denied everything until the end, just like the fat man is.

It's about damn time. I'm not going to sit here and blame Cleveland's problems on corruption. We all know ultimately that Cleveland's problems are because of the decline in steel and heavy industry in the area. But I will blame the fact that Cleveland has struggled to grow and adapt in part because of red tape and corruption. When you have folks in office that are more inclined to line their own pockets, rather that see the county prosper... I mean this isn't rocket science.

[Flee to the Cleve]

Originally Posted by billmesh

But I will blame the fact that Cleveland has struggled to grow and adapt in part because of red tape and corruption. When you have folks in office that are more inclined to line their own pockets, rather that see the county prosper... I mean this isn't rocket science.

Now that Russo is out and big fat Jimmy D. will soon follow, hopefully the voters will not vote in a new round of corrupt politican so we can speed up some of the progress in the city.

[deskjockey]

Originally Posted by billmesh

It's about damn time. I'm not going to sit here and blame Cleveland's problems on corruption. We all know ultimately that Cleveland's problems are because of the decline in steel and heavy industry in the area. But I will blame the fact that Cleveland has struggled to grow and adapt in part because of red tape and corruption. When you have folks in office that are more inclined to line their own pockets, rather that see the county prosper... I mean this isn't rocket science.

You mean Cuyahoga County?

[Flee to the Cleve]

Big Fat Jimmy goes down too. He was arrested this morning from his home.

County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora is arrested | cleveland.com