USDOJ Press Release: Cleveland City Council Member Charged With Bribery

News Release

December 8, 2008

U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Northern District of Ohio

William J. Edwards
United States Attorney

Dean M. Valore
Assistant United States Attorney
216-622-3689

Cleveland City Council Member Charged With Bribery

William J. Edwards, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a one-count information was filed charging Cleveland City Council Member Robert J. White, III, age 47, of Cleveland, Ohio, with one count of bribery in violation of the Hobbs Act.

Count 1 of the information alleges that in or about late 2007, White accepted a $500 bribe from an unnamed Cleveland businessman who was cooperating with the FBI in exchange for the performance of his official duties as Ward 2 Councilman for the City of Cleveland.

The maximum potential penalty for conviction under the Hobbs Act violation is 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any period of incarceration. The court may determine the actual sentence under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which depend upon a number of factors unique to each case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, his role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. The actual sentence may be less than the statutory maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean M. Valore following an investigation initiated by the Cleveland Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.