Michael Gabor was sentenced to more than
10 years in prison for paying bribes to public officials and helping
orchestrate a shame election uncovered as part of the Cuyahoga County
corruption investigation, federal law enforcement officials announced today.
Judge Sara Lioi sentenced Gabor to 121
months in prison and ordered him to forfeit the value of his Ohio Public
Employee Retirement System account, valued at approximately $22,252. The money
will eventually be paid to Cuyahoga County.
Gabor, 53, of Parma, Ohio, was convicted
in March of racketeering, conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion, obstruction
of justice, and other crimes following a trial before U.S. District Judge Sarah
Lioi that lasted nearly two months.
Gabor was convicted for his role in
orchestrating a sham election against his then-boss, Cuyahoga County Auditor
Frank Russo, paying a cash bribe to get his job, and paying a bribe to a
domestic relations judge as part of Gabor’s divorce case.
“The defendant helped rig an election,
bribe a judge, and buy his job,” Assistant United States Attorney Antoinette T.
Bacon said during the sentencing hearing.
Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in
Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland office, said: “This
sentence is a demonstration that corruption will not be tolerated at any level.
While the defendant may not have been an elected official receiving bribes, his
role facilitated bribes allowing these corrupt activities to flourish in
Cuyahoga County.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorneys Antoinette T. Bacon, Ann C. Rowland and Nancy L. Kelley
following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal
Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. The case agents were FBI Special Agents
R. Michael Massie and Christine C. Oliver and IRS Special Agent Kelly Fatula.
The Cuyahoga County corruption
investigation is ongoing.
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