FBI Raids CMHA Offices in Cleveland

On Wednesday the FBI raided the office of George Phillips, executive director of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), say officials. The raid at the CMHA's West 25th Street location is the latest target in an on-going federal corruption investigation that began in July 2008 with FBI raids of the offices of Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo and Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, as well as several local businesses.

Other businesses are also expected to be raided throughout the day. As of 11:30am, there were raids in progress at CMHA, as well as at Siemens at Granger & Transportation and Reliance Mechanical on Hamilton Ave. in Cleveland.

Siemens had been contracted by CMHA to perform overhauls on various CMHA properties to improve energy efficiency. The work was completed sometime before October 2007, and included new boilers and windows.

Federal agents also searched the Chagrin Falls home of John Carroll, a former top MetroHealth Medical Center employee fired in July after officials indicated he accepted gifts from a construction company used frequently by the hospital system.

The federal agents have thus far refused to comment on what exactly they are looking for. FBI spokesman Scott Wilson did say that today's raides involve agents not only from the FBI, but also from the IRS and Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Since the initial raids in July, the FBI has also searched the offices of two Cuyahoga County Court Common Pleas judges. No indictments have been returned thus far, but it appears the investigation continues to broaden.

Keep checking back for the latest updates to this developing story.