Ex-East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton and aide get probation for torpedoing covert public corruption probe – cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A federal judge on Thursday sentenced former East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton and his former assistant to one year of probation for torpedoing a covert federal bribery investigation into other public officials.

Norton, who pleaded guilty to obstructing justice, told his assistant Vanessa Veals about the ongoing investigation after federal authorities interviewed him in September 2018 and warned him not to tell anyone about it. Veals, in turn, told others about the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea Rice said in court Thursday that the government terminated its investigation as a result.

It impeded the governments ability to do what it needed to do to investigate public corruption, Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea Rice said during Nortons sentencing hearing on Thursday.

Norton told U.S. District Court Judge Dan Polster that he was 100 percent guilty. He said that he constantly replayed his misdeeds in his mind.

Im ashamed, Norton said. I made the wrong choice. I apologize to everyone that Ive wronged.

Polster handed down the sentences during a hearing held over Zoom. The judge presided over a portion of the sentencing conducted under seal, and court officials closed it to the public.

Polster told Norton, who faced a maximum of six months in federal prison under sentencing guidelines, that he usually sends people who obstruct justice and compromise undercover investigations to prison. The judge said he believed Norton learned his lesson and is unlikely to commit any more crimes.

Its not because I dont think what you did was very serious, Polster said.

Veals, who also pleaded guilty to obstructing justice, told Polster she regretted her actions.

FBI agents and the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development were looking into allegations of bribery and fraud in East Cleveland that city officials said involved demolition contracts.

Federal prosecutors opened a grand jury investigation in 2017 after Norton had left office, and voters elected current East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King. Federal authorities interviewed Norton in September 2018 and told him about the investigation and not to tell anyone other than his attorney about it, the charges said.

Norton told Veals about the investigation and his interview that same day and denied doing so when federal agents asked him about it later, according to court documents.

Prosecutors bought charges against Veals after federal agents said she told another city employee about the investigation after Norton told her. She is also accused of forging another city employees signature on East Cleveland city letterhead after Norton emailed her and asked her to have that employee sign them.

Veals later deleted the emails and attachments that Norton had sent to her, the charges said.

Norton served on East Cleveland City Council from 2004 until he was elected mayor in 2009. Voters ousted him from office in a 2016 recall election.

His attorney, John Mitchell, told Polster that Norton is focused on raising his children and continuing down his second path in life.

Norton is a good and decent man who made a tremendous mistake, Mitchell said.

Veals worked for the city from 2007 to 2019, according to court filings. Her attorney, Harvey Bruner, told Polster that Veals lost her job in East Cleveland as a result of her actions in this case. She has since obtained her real estate license and plans to pursue a career in that field, he said.

Continued here:

Ex-East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton and aide get probation for torpedoing covert public corruption probe - cleveland.com

Related Posts

Comments are closed.