FBI raids court chambers in Ohio corruption probe
AP , Cleveland: Sep 24 2008
Made Popular Sep 24 2008
United States :

The FBI raided the chambers of two judges in a corruption probe that began with earlier seizures at the offices and homes of two elected officials in Ohio’s most populous county, officials said Wednesday.

Agents searched the courtrooms of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judges Bridget M. McCafferty and Steven J. Terry on Tuesday night, FBI Spokesman Scott Wilson said. Wilson wouldn’t say what the agents took.

McCafferty declined to comment, and Terry did not return a phone message.

The searches came in a probe that began July 28, when agents sent employees home for the day and carried off items from the offices and homes of Commissioner Jimmy Dimora and Auditor Frank Russo.

No charges have been filed. Dimora and Russo say they’ve done nothing wrong.

The focus of the federal investigation hasn’t been disclosed, but The Plain Dealer newspaper has reported that agents were looking into allegations that Dimora, one of three county commissioners and the county’s Democratic chairman, and Russo traded county jobs and contracts for thousands of dollars in free improvements to their spacious suburban homes.

The government of Cuyahoga County is controlled by Democrats and has 9,400 employees and a $1.5 billion annual budget.

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