Three Charged in Cuyahoga County Public Corruption Scandal

Nearly a year after the first FBI raids and federal investigations came to light in the public, three Cuyahoga County officials have today been charged with conspiracy, public corruption, bribery, tax counts, and mail fraud. J. Kevin Kelley, a former member of the Parma school board, as well as two others who worked with him in the county engineer's office - Kevin Payne and Daniel Gallagher - stand accused of steering jobs and millions of dollars in public contracts to pay for pricey meals, Las Vegas gambling trips, and other "personal services".

The charges filed today mark the first major charges to be filed in the on-going county public corruption scandal.

All three men are due to appear in U.S. District Court in the next few weeks. A fourth man, Brian Schuman, is also due to appear in court. Schuman helped run a halfway house on East 55th Street in Cleveland, Alternatives Agency Inc., where Kelley also worked as a consultant. Kelley is accused of bribing public officials for a $250,000 contract approved by county commissioners for the halfway house.

The charges filed today come exactly 11 months after more than 175 federal agents searched the homes and officers of County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, Auditor Frank Russo, and Kelley, in addition to several contractors.

Within the charges filed today are mentions of contracts for the county's GIS computer system, the Stonebridge condominium project, the Snow Road resurfacing, and the county's new juvenile justice center on Quincy Ave. and E. 93rd Street.