Jimmy Dimora motions for release after fall, concussion at corrections facility

CLEVELAND - Former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora has filed another motion for his release from prison, this time because of his medical conditions.

Earlier this month, Dimora fell at the Northeast Ohio Correction Center in Youngstown, according to documents filed in federal court on Friday. He was taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital where he was treated for a concussion over three days, documents said.

“As a consequence of the fall, Mr. Dimora’s previous conditions have been aggravated. He has been prescribed a walked and may be moved to a wheelchair if his condition does not improve,” court documents said.

On March 9, a federal jury found Dimora guilty on 33 of 34 counts following a 37-day trial in the Cuyahoga County corruption investigation. He was convicted of accepting bribes of cash, sexual favors and home improvements. Also on Friday, the government motioned to drop the charges against Dimora that would take him through another trial in October with codefendant Michael Forlani. That motions still needs the judge's ruling.

An affidavit from Dimora’s doctor said the former commissioner suffers from sleep apnea, back and knee pain, and swollen ankles. The primary physician said Dimora had these conditions before being sent to prison.

Friday’s court documents said tests performed on Dimora after his fall revealed a mass behind his pharynx and an aneurysm. The affidavit said the mass should be tested further to determine if it’s cancerous. Court documents argued that the medical treatment would be costly and those bills would fall on the Bureau of Prisons as long as Dimora is incarcerated. If Dimora is released, his insurance company would have to pick up the bill.

Just last month, federal Judge Sara Lioi denied Dimora’s release while he awaits sentencing, which is set for July 25. Lioi cited Dimora’s “apparent lack of concern for his family” as just one of the reason he posed a flight risk.

“Defendant Dimora contends that his ‘lifetime of association with and residence in Cuyahoga County,’ and his ‘network of family and friends,’ support a likelihood he will not flee… The Court finds several problems with this showing,” Lioi said in court documents.