U.S. Attorney General says Jimmy Dimora deserves at least 22 years in prison

CLEVELAND - U.S. attorneys recommended that former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora spend at least 22 years in prison.

In court documents filed on Monday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder with federal prosecutor Antoinette Bacon said Dimora accepted more than 100 bribes from more than 11 sources.

[READ THE DOCUMENT HERE: http://5.wews.com/iSb ]

The attorneys also said Dimora should pay $96,265.78, plus 50 percent of the sales of his Independence house. Dimora’s sentencing is set for July 30.

“Dimora engaged in a deliberate and systematic conspiracy over the period of nearly a decade wherein he used his position as a County Commissioner to accomplish his criminal purpose. Dimora should now be held to account for the full measure of his conduct.”

On March 9, the ex-commissioner was convicted on 33 of 34 counts, including fraud, bribery and obstruction of justice. The federal jury spent 37 days hearing evidence and nearly 40 hours deliberating.

“Dimora built a backyard resort on the backs of County taxpayers. He funded his gambling trips, poker parties, secret trysts, and expensive meals, from the County till. This behavior is particularly outrageous because it occurred during a time that demanded fiscal constraint, when the County was cutting services and asking financially strapped taxpayers to pass addition tax levies,” court documents said.

Dimora's bond was revoked immediately after the trial. His defense attorneys have made several motions for his release.

Court documents said Dimora fell while at the Northeast Ohio Correction Center in Youngstown in May, resulting in a concussion and hospital stay. An affidavit said doctors found a mass behind his pharynx and that the former politician was confined to a wheelchair.