Judge to rule on 13 pre-trial motions in Jimmy Dimora corruption case

AKRON, Ohio - A federal judge in Akron is hearing 13 different pre-trial motions from former Cuyahoga County commissioner Jimmy Dimora’s attorneys Wednesday.

So far, the judge has heard 11 of the motions, including one for a change of venue. Dimora’s lawyer, Bill Whitaker, said the Plain Dealer’s newspaper articles as well as television coverage reaching seven northeast Ohio counties would prejudice a jury pool.

But the judge said their reach for a jury pool is larger than most courts, so there should be no issue finding an impartial jury.

The last two issues being heard Wednesday involve motions to suppress the wire taps and search.

When Dimora’s attorney said he was concerned about the jury pool having a mistrust of politicians, the judge asked where they should go to get the opposite. This resulted in laughter in the courtroom.

Another motion on the table is to split up Dimora and co-defendant Michael Gabor. They are slated to be tried together in early 2012.

Dimora was originally indicted on 31 counts in September 2010, but on March 30, federal prosecutors released a 149-page superseding indictment. It included racketeering charges, as well as, seven new bribery charges.

NewsChannel5 has a crew in the courtroom. Keep checking newsnet5.com for more information.