Calabrese, Prudoff indicted in Cuyahoga County corruption case

CLEVELAND - Two more people have been indicted in the ongoing Cuyahoga County corruption investigation.

On Thursday, authorities arrested Anthony Calabrese III, 39, and Sandford Prudoff, 68, according to the Department of Justice. Both men appeared in federal court on Thursday on the 18-count indictment and pleaded not guilty.

A news release from the Department of Justice said Calabrese, of Chagrin Falls, was named on 12 counts, including racketeering, tampering with a victim and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funding.

The 71-page indictment said as a lawyer, Calabrese got tax exemption for Alternatives Agency, which was a non-profit organization working to rehabilitate convicts. Calabrese also lobbied members of the Parma School Board for certain business contracts, worth about $1.8 million, according to court documents. The indictment also states Calabrese had a hand in former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora’s alleged trip to Las Vegas.

The DOJ said starting in 2003, Prudoff, who worked as the Community Development Director for the city of Lorain, received payments from Alternatives Agency for so-called consulting work. When other people began asking what exactly Prudoff was doing, Callabrese allegedly said it was part of his existing job and did not tell Alternatives Agency about the payments.

Prudoff faces charges for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, giving false statements to law enforcement and multiple counts of giving false statements on a federal income tax return.

The indictment also claims that Calabrese was involved in making similar deals with other people, totaling $144,000 for Alternatives Agency. A business also pocketed more than $12,000 and A.C. Sinagra and Associates received more than $190,000 from Calabrese’s dealings, according to the news release.

Calabrese and Prudoff are both charged in count 5, conspiracy to commit mail fraud.