Cuyahoga County attorney pleads guilty in corruption investigation

CLEVELAND - Cuyahoga County attorney Anthony Calabrese III pleaded guilty to an indictment on corruption charges on Tuesday.

The 40-year-old was indicted in a 71-page document in June on charges of racketeering and bribery. Calabrese was accused of lobbying Parma School Board members for contracts worth $1.8 million and having a hand in Jimmy Dimora’s Las Vegas trip.

Former Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo testified in February 2012 that Calabrese gave him $20,000 for a tax reduction on a property and handed over another $50,000 for brokering the deal.

Two charges, related to Alternatives Agency and tampering with a witness, were dismissed, the Department of Justice said.

Last month, Cleveland police and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office raided his home and seized several pieces of evidence in a new, six-month bribery investigation. Prosecutors said Calabrese and two other attorneys attempted to bribe two rape victims in a pending criminal case. He pleaded not guilty to those charges.