Sittenfeld Trial: How Chinedum Ndukwe became an FBI informant and began the corruption investigation

 

The FBI case agent in charge of the corruption investigation of former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld began his testimony Thursday morning by outlining why and how a key witness began working with the Bureau.

 

FBI Special Agent Nathan Holbrook, the case agent in charge of the Sittenfeld investigation, began what is expected to be a full day of testimony on June 23 by describing how real estate developer Chinedum Ndukwe became a cooperating witness for the Bureau after coming under investigation himself in March 2018 for allegedly providing local politicians with money orders and cashier's checks written out in other people's names.

 

Sittenfeld is on trial, charged with two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted extortion. Prosecutors allege he accepted $40,000 in contributions to his political action committee (PAC) in exchange for support in passing legislation that would help Ndukwe, who was working with two undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town developers.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/23/ndukwe-fbi-source.html

 

Sittenfeld Trial: FBI agent lays out evidence in corruption case

 

The FBI agent in charge of the corruption investigation into former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld gave the most complete look yet at the evidence against him in a marathon day of testimony that introduced hours of recordings between the former politician and undercover agents.

 

Prosecutors used the testimony of FBI Special Agent Nathan Holbrook, the case agent in charge of the investigation into Sittenfeld, to introduce the bulk of their recordings of the former councilman to the jury. Those recordings included hearing Sittenfeld accept the first $20,000 in checks to his political action committee (PAC) in what they allege was an exchange for his support of a development project by a cooperating witness, developer Chinedum Ndukwe.

 

Prosecutors allege Sittenfeld took a total of $40,000 in contributions, but after seven hours of testimony on June 23, the government still had about 21 recordings left to get through and plans to resume Holbrook's testimony Friday morning.

Sittenfeld is on trial, charged with two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted extortion.

 

Prosecutors allege he accepted $40,000 in contributions to his PAC, Progress and Growth, in exchange for support in passing legislation that would help Ndukwe, who was working with two undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town developers.

 

Holbrook began his testimony by explaining how and why Ndukwe became a cooperating witness for the FBI, a process that began in March 2018. Holbrook said Ndukwe helped to identify multiple local officials that became targets of public corruption investigations and was paid $27,000 for his assistance. Ndukwe brought Sittenfeld's name to Holbrook after the former councilman asked for help raising campaign money.

 

In his testimony, Holbrook talked through, and the jury got to hear, around 20 recordings of interactions between Sittenfeld, Ndukwe and two undercover FBI agents identified as Rob and Brian, as well as text messages between some of the parties.

 

And WAY more of the saga continues below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/23/sittenfeld-trial-day-three.html

 

Sittenfeld Trial: Day three of testimony dives deeper into FBI's Sittenfeld investigation

 

During his second day of testimony in the corruption trial of former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, the FBI agent in charge of the case presented more secret recordings of the former politician and introduced a new undercover agent posing as a quasi-mafia figure and potential donor.

 

FBI Special Agent Nathan Holbrook testified for a second day on June 24, during which jurors got to hear more recordings of meetings between Sittenfeld and undercover agents posing as investors in a development project being undertaken by Chinedum Ndukwe, who was a cooperating witness at the time.

 

Sittenfeld is on trial, charged with two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted extortion. Prosecutors allege he accepted $40,000 in contributions to his PAC, Progress and Growth, in exchange for support in passing legislation that would help Ndukwe, who was working with two undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town developers.

 

During Holbrook's first day of testimony, he talked about – and jurors heard – recordings of meetings between Sittenfeld, Ndukwe and undercover FBI agents. Much of the testimony relates to a development project at 435 Elm St., referred to as 435 Elm, which Ndukwe was working on and the undercover FBI agents were posing as investors in.

 

The first day's testimony covered how Ndukwe introduced the undercover agents as potential investors in 435 Elm, and those agents offered Sittenfeld cash and money orders, but ultimately presented him with checks for $20,000 in donations to his PAC. The government argued there was an understanding those donations were given in exchange for Sittenfeld's votes, something he has denied.

 

What follows is a timeline of the evidence presented at the trial on June 24. It only represents the government's case, and Sittenfeld's attorneys have not yet had a chance to ask any questions of Holbrook.

 

WAY more tea below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/24/sittenfeld-trial-day-four.html

 

From what I have seen about the case, I would have a hard time convicting him. I think he is sleazy and from my own personal experience with him, he has come across as rather arrogant and full of himself and power hungry. I think he walked up to that line, but I just do not think he crossed the legal line based on what is out there. He obviously is a very savvy politician and knew how to play on the edge and manipulate the rules to his advantage, but I do not think I would be there to convict yet. This is definitely not as clear cut as Dennard or Pastor's case for sure.   My guess is you get a hung jury, but we shall see. 

Sittenfeld Trial: Cross examination of FBI agent brings Cincinnati City Hall revelations

 

Cross examination of the FBI agent in charge of a corruption investigation into former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld raised new revelations about alleged crimes around the financing of political campaigns at City Hall.

 

FBI Special Agent Nathan Holbrook, in charge of the investigation into Sittenfeld, took the witness stand for a second full day of testimony during the former councilman's trial, during which the jury heard a local political operative allegedly pocketed $15,000 that was to go toward the campaign of former Mayor John Cranley.

 

Sittenfeld is on trial, charged with two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted extortion. Prosecutors allege he accepted $40,000 in contributions to his PAC, Progress and Growth, in exchange for support in passing legislation that would help developer Chinedum Ndukwe, who was working with two undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town investors.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/24/cross-examination-of-fbi-agent.html

 

Did Ndukwe only cooperate because he knew he was already in deep ****?

 

Sittenfeld Trial: The complete timeline of the FBI's case against P.G. Sittenfeld

 

In hours of testimony spanning multiple days, the FBI agent who led the investigation into former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld laid out in detail for the first time how the federal agency built its case.

 

FBI Special Agent Nathan Holbrook's testimony provided prosecutors the opportunity to introduce dozens of recordings they allege prove Sittenfeld committed various crimes. Sittenfeld is on trial, charged with two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted extortion. Prosecutors allege he accepted $40,000 in contributions to his PAC, Progress and Growth, in exchange for support in passing legislation that would help Ndukwe, who was working with two undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town developers.

 

His testimony also offered the most complete look yet at how the agency built its case against the high-profile politician, who until his arrest was a frontrunner to be the city's next mayor.

 

What follows is a timeline of the evidence presented at the trial from June 23-24. It only represents the government's case. You can read more on Sittenfeld's attorneys' cross examination here.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/27/timeline-of-fbi-sittenfeld-investigation.html

I for one, am shocked that Cranley's name came up. He always seemed like such a stand up guy with no inkling of strong-arming developers or using quid pro quo to get his way.

 

I could also see this being a hung jury, because while what he did was clearly a 'get money to get my vote' scheme, the way he went about it and the fact that he is on the recording saying "this is not a quid pro quo" seems like it's in a grey area. Unfortunately it's completely normal for a lobbyist to give money to a politician and expect them to vote a certain way, so why is this illegal and that isn't? There seems to be enough grey area in this case that I'm not sure he does get convicted. My only hope is that all these cases lead to some changes with how our developments and zoning approval work in this city to remove city council from having to so often get involved in every decision and streamline the process. 

Sittenfeld Trial: Undercover agents took developer, other elected official to Miami

 

During the third day of testimony from the agent in charge of the FBI's corruption investigation into former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, the jury heard details of a different public corruption investigation that included trips on a private jet, a yacht and adult entertainment in Miami.

 

FBI Special Agent Nathan Holbrook testified for a third day on Monday, where under cross examination by Sittenfeld's defense attorney, Charles H. Rittgers, he was asked about $27,000 in cash paid to developer Chinedum Ndukwe, who has acted as a cooperating witness with the FBI for multiple local public corruption cases.

 

Sittenfeld is on trial, charged with two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted extortion. Prosecutors allege he accepted $40,000 in contributions to his PAC, Progress and Growth, in exchange for support in passing legislation that would help Ndukwe, who was working with two undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town investors.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/27/sittenfeld-trial-fb-agents-trip.html

 

Sittenfeld Trial: Undercover FBI agents take stand in trial's fifth day

 

FBI special agents who posed as wealthy real estate investors took the stand in the fifth day of the corruption trial of former Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld. It was revealed that one of the agents had been censured during the course of the investigation.

 

Day five of the trial concluded the testimony of Special Agent Nathan Holbrook, the agent in charge of the investigation, and saw two undercover agents under the aliases of "Vinny" and "Rob" take the witness stand.

 

Sittenfeld is charged with two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted extortion. Prosecutors allege he accepted $40,000 in contributions to his PAC, Progress and Growth, in exchange for support in passing legislation that would help developer Chinedum Ndukwe, who was working as a cooperating witness with undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town investors. The development in question was at 435 Elm St. downtown, across from the Duke Energy Convention Center.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/27/sittenfeld-trial-day-five.html

Sittenfeld Trial: Cincinnati 'extremely corrupt' for some time, Ndukwe testifies

 

On the sixth day of the corruption trial of former Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, developer Chinedum Ndukwe testified as to what he characterized as an "extremely corrupt" culture when it came to expectations of donations from developers at City Hall. The jury heard a list of developers who donated to Sittenfeld and Ndukwe said former Mayor John Cranley had a hand in virtually every real estate project in the city.

 

"In my opinion, I think the city of Cincinnati has been extremely corrupt for a very long time," Ndukwe testified.

 

Ndukwe, a former Cincinnati Bengal turned commercial developer, took the witness stand Tuesday morning. He became a cooperating witness for the FBI in 2018 after admitting to making campaign contributions to other politicians in the names of his friends and family in violation of elections laws.

 

Sittenfeld is on trial, charged with two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted extortion. Prosecutors allege he accepted $40,000 in contributions to his political action committee (PAC) in exchange for support in passing legislation that would help Ndukwe, who was working with two undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town developers.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/28/sittenfeld-trial-ndukwe-gives-jury-names.html

Sittenfeld Trial: Lobbyist raised red flags about undercover FBI agents

 

A Cincinnati lobbyist who testified during the corruption trial of former City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld said he raised concerns with the politician early on about undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-state investors.

 

Jay Kincaid, who served as former Mayor John Cranley's chief of staff before later becoming a lobbyist and working with the city primarily on behalf of developers, testified on June 28 that two FBI agents posing as real estate investors – known by their aliases "Rob" and "Brian" – were unlike any developers he had ever met.

 

Kincaid testified "they were incredibly peculiar for developers" in terms of their behavior and appearance. For one, Kincaid testified, in his career working at or adjacent to City Hall he had never seen developers bragging about how much money they had in the bank, which "Rob" and "Brian" did "in an off-putting way."

 

Kincaid testified most developers "look like schlubs" who had walked into a business meeting after just having come in from mowing a lawn, while "Rob" had a perfectly manicured 5 o'clock shadow and "wore more gold jewelry than any man I've ever seen, with the exception of Mr. T."

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/28/sittenfeld-trial-lobbyist-flags.html

 

54 minutes ago, ColDayMan said:

Kincaid testified most developers "look like schlubs" who had walked into a business meeting after just having come in from mowing a lawn, while "Rob" had a perfectly manicured 5 o'clock shadow and "wore more gold jewelry than any man I've ever seen, with the exception of Mr. T."

How true this is. 

Cincinnati Park Board selected a new director, Jason Barron, 38, is executive director of Red Bike. Do we want to start a betting pool on how long he last? Seems that this position has been a merry go round of individuals the past couple years. Each being paid off to leave and not talk about there employment with the park board...

Sittenfeld Trial: Witness testified Sittenfeld had concerns over FBI probe in 2019

 

A political adviser who worked in the past with former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld testified during the politician's corruption trial on Wednesday that Sittenfeld had expressed concerns over two undercover FBI agents posing as investors amid a nationwide crackdown on public corruption.

 

Jared Kamrass, a political strategist and consultant who has worked with candidates from former Mayor John Cranley to current Mayor Aftab Pureval, testified during the seventh day of Sittenfeld's corruption trial on June 29 the former city councilman was worried two men who had been introduced to him as out-of-town investors in a local development project, men he knew as "Rob" and "Brian," were in fact undercover FBI agents. It turned out that he was correct.

 

Kamrass testified Sittenfeld told him there was something not right about "Rob" and "Brian."

 

"He thought they were sleazy," Kamrass said.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/29/sittenfeld-trial-fbi-concerns.html

Sittenfeld Trial: Prosecution rests case with testimony from Port CEO

 

Prosecutors in the corruption trial against former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld rested their case Wednesday afternoon after testimony from the CEO of the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, who said her interactions with Sittenfeld regarding a project at the heart of the investigation into him were "out of context" with her normal conversations.

 

Port CEO Laura Brunner was called to the stand by prosecutors on June 29. She testified she felt developer Chinedum Ndukwe's plans for the redevelopment of the property adjacent to the Duke Energy Convention Center downtown were "never satisfactory and complete."

 

The property is at the heart of the case against Sittenfeld, who is accused of two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted extortion. Prosecutors allege he accepted $40,000 in contributions to his political action committee (PAC), Progress and Growth, in exchange for support in passing legislation that would help Ndukwe with 435 Elm St. Ndukwe at the time was working with two undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town investors, who were investigating public corruption in Cincinnati.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/29/sittenfeld-trial-prosecution-rests.html

Sittenfeld Trial: Judge suspends trial unexpectedly due to Covid

 

A federal judge has unexpectedly suspended the corruption trial of former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld over the holiday weekend for Covid-related reasons.

 

With the defense expected to rest its case on June 30, U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Cole early Thursday morning suspended the trial for reasons related to Covid-19. The trial is suspended until at least July 5, Cole said. Specifics about the coronavirus-related suspension were not disclosed.

 

Sittenfeld is charged with two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted extortion. Prosecutors allege he accepted $40,000 in contributions to his political action committee (PAC) in exchange for support in passing legislation that would help developer Chinedum Ndukwe, a cooperating witness to the FBI who was working with undercover agents "Rob" and "Brian" in several investigations into public corruption.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/30/sittenfeld-trial-judge-suspends-trial-unexpectedly.html

Sittenfeld Trial: 'No one wants to invest in a loser,' Seelbach testifies

 

Former Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Seelbach testified during the corruption trial of his old colleague, P.G. Sittenfeld, that it may be an ugly truth, but money is an unavoidable part of modern politics.

 

Seelbach – who served on council from 2011 to 2021 – testified for the defense on the eighth full day in Sittenfeld's trial that prior to his serving as a politician, he served as a campaign manager and consultant for other politicians seeking office. He said when asked what politicians were expected to do while campaigning, the response was often shaking hands, attending parades, meeting people and knocking on doors.

 

"If you do that, you will lose," Seelbach testified. "How you run for office and win in this country today is by raising a lot of money and spending it well."

...

Seelbach testified it's not uncommon for candidates to claim they will win when courting donors.

 

"No one wants to invest in a loser," he said. "When someone is making a donation, they're making an investment in you."

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/07/05/sittenfeld-trial-seelbach-testifies.html

 

P.G. Sittenfeld takes the stand in his own corruption trial

 

Former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld testified Tuesday in his own defense in his corruption trial in Federal Court downtown. He told a jury that when he was approached by someone he considered a longtime friend and asked to support a development deal in exchange for political contributions, it was so out of character that he gave the developer the benefit of the doubt.

 

Sittenfeld stands accused of two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted extortion for allegedly taking $40,000 in contributions to his political action committee (PAC), Progress and Growth, that prosecutors claim was a bribe in exchange for his support in passing legislation that would benefit developer Chinedum Ndukwe, who was working to redevelop a blighted property at 435 Elm St. downtown. At the time Ndukwe was working with two undercover FBI agents posing as investors.

 

Ndukwe was working as a cooperating witness to the FBI after the agency approached him about potential campaign finance violations in regards to contributions he made to local races in 2013.

 

At the FBI's direction, Ndukwe recorded a call with Sittenfeld on Nov. 2, 2018, in which he was told to make an explicit offer of political contributions in exchange for a favorable vote on 435 Elm. That phone call was the focus of much of the testimony on July 5.

 

Ndukwe in that call said he could deliver $20,000 in campaign contributions over the next several weeks, but his investors wanted to know Sittenfeld's vote was "gonna be a yes vote ... without a doubt."

 

Sittenfeld testified the request was so "aberrant" and "unusual" coming from someone who he had known for eight years and trusted both as a businessman and as a friend, that he wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/07/05/sittenfeld-trial-pg-takes-stand.html

Sittenfeld Trial: Jury begins deliberations after two-week trial

 

The jury in the corruption trial of former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld heard closing arguments and began deliberations after more than two weeks of testimony about whether the former politician accepted bribes in exchange for his support of a downtown project.

 

In the ninth full day of trial on July 6 – the jury was dismissed early on June 30 over a Covid-19 concern – prosecutors in their closing arguments portrayed Sittenfeld as a politician who made a deal with unsavory real estate investors who gave him $40,000 in exchange for his support of a development at 435 Elm St. downtown.

 

"This is a corrupt solicitation, it is a direct tie between a solicitation of money and Mr. Sittenfeld's direct help," Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Singer told jurors during his closing argument.

 

Sittenfeld's defense attorney, Charlie M. Rittgers, who is representing the former councilman alongside his father, Charlie H. Rittgers, told jurors in his own closing argument it will be up to them to assume and consider whether Sittenfeld intended to act corruptly, or whether he was engaging in routine and lawful fundraising for his intended run to be Cincinnati's mayor in 2021.

 

"He (Sittenfeld) would never have sold his vote for anything," Charlie M. Rittgers said.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/07/06/sittenfeld-trial-jury-deliberations.html

I am quite surprised:

 

Quote

Sittenfeld Trial: P.G. Sittenfeld found guilty on two charges in corruption trial

 

On Friday, former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld was found guilty on two charges — bribery and attempted extortion — after two weeks of testimony and two day of deliberations. He was found not guilty on the remaining charges.

 

The bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years, while the attempted extortion by a government officials carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years, according to a 2020 news release from the U.S. Attorney's office. It is not yet clear when Sittenfeld will be sentenced. Sittenfeld previously turned down a plea agreement where he would have faced two years in prison. [...]

 

A big issue at trial was Sittenfeld's response. He said: "Obviously nothing can be illegal, like ... nothing can be a quid pro quo. And I know that’s not what you’re saying, either," to which Ndukwe responded "yeah." Sittenfeld testified on the witness stand he understood that to be Ndukwe refuting any explicit quid pro quo, but prosecutors argued Sittenfeld went on to describe what a pro-development politician he was, which they claimed was a clear indication he was assuring Ndukwe he would be a yes vote.

 

9 minutes ago, taestell said:

I am quite surprised:

 

 

I think the elements of the case were pretty clear. As sorry as I feel for PG, it was pretty cut and dry on the elements of the law. 

Imagine if:

• A mayoral candidate said that they are pro-bikeshare and if elected would expand RedBike to more neighborhoods in Cincinnati
• Bcycle, the infrastructure provider for RedBike, hears this and asks to meet with the candidate, interested in donating to his PAC
• The candidate meets with a representative of Bcycle and says, "There can be no quid pro quo, but as you know, I am in favor of expanding RedBike."
• Bcycle donates to candidate's PAC
• The candidate gets elected and successfully signs legislation funding an expansion of RedBike

That seems like normal politics to me. That's essentially what PG did as well.

50 minutes ago, taestell said:

Imagine if:

• A mayoral candidate said that they are pro-bikeshare and if elected would expand RedBike to more neighborhoods in Cincinnati
• Bcycle, the infrastructure provider for RedBike, hears this and asks to meet with the candidate, interested in donating to his PAC
• The candidate meets with a representative of Bcycle and says, "There can be no quid pro quo, but as you know, I am in favor of expanding RedBike."
• Bcycle donates to candidate's PAC
• The candidate gets elected and successfully signs legislation funding an expansion of RedBike

That seems like normal politics to me. That's essentially what PG did as well.

Not exactly. This is what the defense tried to frame it as. PG was playing in a very gray area and dangerously close to the line. He crossed over it. Very slightly, but he crossed it. He may not have taken direct payments like Dennard, but his crime is much more akin to Larry Householder. Whether he may have been sloppy in his language, the fact of the matter is that there was sufficient evidence to show that despite the fact he said no quid pro quo, he acted in a way that essentially required developers to "pay to play" Just because he did not say the magic "quid pro Quo" words, or was smart enough not to take money directly through his PAC, his actions were such that a reasonable person would know that if I do not donate to his PAC, my project is dead.

Furthermore, his actions contradicted his words. Just saying "no quid pro quo" does not necessarily make it so. Meeting in a Columbus hotel room to collect a $20k check and then saying I can deliver the votes essentially implies the bribe. 

 

And believe me, I feel horrible for PG. When he was indicted, I said I found the case flimsy and it would be easy to understand that he could explain what actually happened. After hearing the evidence, (Based on the reports) it is not too difficult to understand how it fit the elements of the crimes charged. When Larry Householder goes to trial, it is going to be much of the same thing. 

Edited July 8, 20222 yr by Brutus_buckeye

Biggest waste of taxpayer dollars ever.

I do think there are a few things that PG did that may have just slightly crossed the line. Again, I'm not the world's biggest PG fan and I'm not trying to cover for him. I just think this sets a weird (bad) precedent and allows for political targeting of politicians and candidates. I have no doubt that PG was targeted specifically because he was a "rising star" in the Democratic party.

 

18 minutes ago, TheCOV said:

Biggest waste of taxpayer dollars ever.

 

Yep. Apparently the FBI blew a ton of money on big parties to create the illusion that the undercover agents were "big spenders" ... and PG ended up not even attending those parties. So it was basically an excuse for the undercover agents to have a good time using taxpayer dollars.

4 minutes ago, taestell said:

I do think there are a few things that PG did that may have just slightly crossed the line. Again, I'm not the world's biggest PG fan and I'm not trying to cover for him. I just think this sets a weird (bad) precedent and allows for political targeting of politicians and candidates. I have no doubt that PG was targeted specifically because he was a "rising star" in the Democratic party.

 

I think the higher up you go on the food chain the more you see this. The larger the race, the larger the dollars, the more likely you have these games going on. 
I do not think party politics played a role here. It is very similar to the Householder case. To your point, the fact that PG was ambitious and looking to raise money so that he could influence the conversation and agenda on a state and national level was why he was targeted. It had nothing to do with ideology. 

what Seelbach said struck me. Saying that all politicians need to engage in that activity and it is moral and ethical is what I found troubling. I think there are a lot of politicians, especially those who have risen to high levels in both parties who engage in this behavior. Some of it goes right up to the line while others behavior crosses it. Many will never be caught or held accountable, mostly because there are not the resources to hold them accountable. It is a sorry state that our politics are like this. 
 

to your point, I do feel PG was targeted because he was a rising star. Get a high profile big fish and maybe it deters the next guy some.  Getting some schlepp in Butler county does not have the same effect

1 hour ago, taestell said:

Imagine if:

• A mayoral candidate said that they are pro-bikeshare and if elected would expand RedBike to more neighborhoods in Cincinnati
• Bcycle, the infrastructure provider for RedBike, hears this and asks to meet with the candidate, interested in donating to his PAC
• The candidate meets with a representative of Bcycle and says, "There can be no quid pro quo, but as you know, I am in favor of expanding RedBike."
• Bcycle donates to candidate's PAC
• The candidate gets elected and successfully signs legislation funding an expansion of RedBike

That seems like normal politics to me. That's essentially what PG did as well.

All of this. Ndukwe is the slimeball here. Pushed the stink off himself and made $27k from the taxpayers in the process. 

 

3 hours ago, taestell said:

I do think there are a few things that PG did that may have just slightly crossed the line. Again, I'm not the world's biggest PG fan and I'm not trying to cover for him. I just think this sets a weird (bad) precedent and allows for political targeting of politicians and candidates. I have no doubt that PG was targeted specifically because he was a "rising star" in the Democratic party.

 

 

Yep. Apparently the FBI blew a ton of money on big parties to create the illusion that the undercover agents were "big spenders" ... and PG ended up not even attending those parties. So it was basically an excuse for the undercover agents to have a good time using taxpayer dollars.

Exactly. Any kind of conviction to justify the expenses is all they wanted. The whole thing was fraught with entrapment. This politician is being held to a standard like no other.

Brutus, you keep bringing up Householder. This is NOTHING like what Householder did. 

14 minutes ago, TheCOV said:

All of this. Ndukwe is the slimeball here. Pushed the stink off himself and made $27k from the taxpayers in the process. 

 

Nkudkwe may be a slimeball, but he is allowed to be one. He is not an elected official who has a fiduciary duty to represent the citizens of Cincinnati. If Ndukwe wants to be a slimeball, thst is solely his business. PG should have known better or made better decisions. He now has to deal with the consequences quenches. 
 

 

also, regarding Householder, it is similar because he essentially shook down Forst Energy do and got them to give millions to his PAC to curry favor and interest with other office holders. He wanted to be a kingmaker. 
Now to your point, PG did not take money and actually get Ndukwe a development t deal, but that is not necessary to prove extortion.  Like Householder, PG was building up a PAC so that he could deploy it and play kingmaker amongst other democrats in the Stste and nationally. He wanted them to kiss his ring, just like Householder wanted the Republicans in the state to kiss his ring.

How can you possibly know about any of this in order to make these deductions? Householder doesn't go on trial until 2023.

How can you possibly know this was PGs motives and end game?

On 7/8/2022 at 5:20 PM, taestell said:

I do think there are a few things that PG did that may have just slightly crossed the line. Again, I'm not the world's biggest PG fan and I'm not trying to cover for him. I just think this sets a weird (bad) precedent and allows for political targeting of politicians and candidates. I have no doubt that PG was targeted specifically because he was a "rising star" in the Democratic party.

 

 

Yep. Apparently the FBI blew a ton of money on big parties to create the illusion that the undercover agents were "big spenders" ... and PG ended up not even attending those parties. So it was basically an excuse for the undercover agents to have a good time using taxpayer dollars.

 

Overall it sounds like the agents were acting like 2005 douchebros that nobody that has their crap together wants to be around. 

On 7/8/2022 at 4:42 PM, Brutus_buckeye said:

Whether he may have been sloppy in his language, the fact of the matter is that there was sufficient evidence to show that despite the fact he said no quid pro quo, he acted in a way that essentially required developers to "pay to play" Just because he did not say the magic "quid pro Quo" words, or was smart enough not to take money directly through his PAC, his actions were such that a reasonable person would know that if I do not donate to his PAC, my project is dead.

 

In what way did he make people believe that they had to pay him or their project was dead? He literally said "I always vote yes for developments" and that was true. He basically said, whether you pay me or not you have my vote. How can you have a bribe when he didn't have anything of value to give them, having already told them he was going to vote yes anyway? 

Sittenfeld attorneys seek forensic examination of juror's communications, raise question of bias

 

In a new court filing, the defense attorneys for former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, who was convicted of bribery and attempted extortion earlier this month, are asking for a forensic examination of a juror's electronic communications.

 

Attorneys for Sittenfeld on Friday filed a motion asking for a forensic examination of electronic communications from a juror identified only as "Juror X," alleging the juror made social media statements about the trial during its proceedings, in violation of a judge's orders, and then deleted the posts and made inconsistent testimony about them. The filing said a forensic examination of electronic communications are needed to determine whether there was juror bias.

 

Sittenfeld was found guilty on one count each of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and attempted extortion under color of official right in connection to his taking of $40,000 in political contributions from undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town investors. He was found not guilty of two counts of honest services wire fraud and additional single counts of bribery and attempted extortion.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/07/22/sittenfeld-attorneys-bias-question.html

Government strikes back against bias allegations in Sittenfeld jury

 

Prosecutors in a new court filing fought back against the idea the jury that convicted former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld of corruption and attempted extortion was biased.

 

The U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Ohio in a July 28 filing argued against Sittenfeld's motion to conduct a forensic examination of a juror's – referred to only as "Juror X" – electronic communications. Sittenfeld's attorneys in a July 22 filing – after revelations that Juror X had made social media posts during her service on the jury – had argued that such an examination was necessary in order to determine whether there was any bias against him in the jury.

 

After deliberating for just more than two days, the jury in Sittenfeld's trial returned with a verdict of guilty on one count each of bribery and attempted extortion by virtue of his position in connection to Sittenfeld taking of $40,000 in political contributions from undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town investors. He was found not guilty of two counts of honest services wire fraud and additional single counts of bribery and attempted extortion.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/07/28/sittenfeld-jury-bias-response.html

Letter: P.G. Sittenfeld knew he was going to be arrested ahead of indictment

 

Former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld was told the day before his November 2020 arrest on public corruption charges that he would be taken into custody the next day, according to a letter he wrote friends and supporters in late July and obtained by the Business Courier.

 

“I learned of my arrest and indictment the day before they actually happened - but I still did not know what I was being arrested and indicted for,” Sittenfeld wrote.

 

Sittenfeld did not say who told him he was going to be indicted and charged. He also described the response of his wife, Dr. Sarah Coyne Sittenfeld, who is pregnant with their second child.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/08/16/pg-knew-of-arrest.html

 

P.G. Sittenfeld files motions for acquittal, new trial following corruption convictions

 

Former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld in a pair of new court filings is asking for his corruption convictions to be tossed out, or for a new trial.

 

Attorneys for Sittenfeld, who was convicted in July on two out of six corruption counts he faced, filed two motions in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, one asking for an acquittal of the two convictions and another asking, if he is not acquitted, for a new trial.

 

Sittenfeld was found guilty on one count each of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and attempted extortion under color of official right in connection to his taking of $40,000 in political contributions from undercover FBI agents posing as out-of-town investors. He was found not guilty of two counts of honest services wire fraud and additional single counts of bribery and attempted extortion.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/10/03/sittenfeld-motions-acquittal.html

 

P.G. Sittenfeld's new attorney James Burnham urges his conviction be tossed

 

A new lawyer for P.G. Sittenfeld urged the judge in the case to toss his conviction or give him a new trial, saying there wasn’t enough unambiguous evidence for a jury to have found the ex-Cincinnati councilman took bribes in the form of campaign contributions in exchange for pushing a downtown real estate project.

 

Attorney James Burnham, who joined Sittenfeld's defense team in September, said federal prosecutors’ case against Sittenfeld was the most aggressive corruption case he’s seen and would “expand the law in a meaningful way” if U.S. District Judge Douglas Cole allows it to stand. The government rarely brings a bribery case where a defendant has only accepted campaign contributions and not other items for personal gain, Burnham said.

 

Sittenfeld was convicted on July 8 of one count of bribery and one count of attempted extortion. He was found not guilty of four other charges.

 

But Cole pressed Burnham on whether he would be the first district court judge to set aside a conviction in such a case. Burnham was not able to immediately cite any similar cases overturned at the trial court level, but said neither appeals courts nor the U.S. Supreme Court have been hesitant to act in the past two decades to rein in a Justice Department that has lost a series of public corruption cases. One of those overturned cases involved former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell, on whose legal team Burnham served.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/12/05/sittenfeld-burnham-urges-conviction-tossed.html

Judge denies P.G. Sittenfeld's bid to toss his conviction, get new trial

 

The judge in P.G. Sittenfeld’s public corruption case declined to toss out his conviction and order a new trial Monday, saying some of the former Cincinnati councilman’s arguments “are a closer call than others” but “none is meritorious.”

 

One of Sittenfeld’s appellate attorneys, James Burnham, argued in December that there was not enough unambiguous evidence for a jury to have found that Sittenfeld took bribes in the form of campaign contributions in exchange for pushing a downtown real estate project. He said a jury may not be able to understand the intricacies of complex federal bribery statutes.

 

Sittenfeld was convicted on July 8, 2022, of one count of bribery and one count of attempted extortion. He was found not guilty of four other charges.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/04/17/pg-sittenfeld-denied-request-to-toss-conviction.html

 

Jeff Pastor accepts plea agreement in corruption case: FILING

 

Court filings show former Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Pastor has accepted a plea agreement in his yearslong legal battle.

 

In November 2020, Pastor and another associate, Tyran Marshall, were indicted on several felony charges, with federal prosecutors accusing the duo of taking $55,000 in bribes from two undercover FBI agents posing as real estate developers. Marshall allegedly set up a nonprofit company to collect and distribute the bribes. At the time, both pleaded not guilty.

 

However, filings submitted May 30 show Pastor has inked a plea deal in the case, the second of three high-profile corruption cases to sweep City Hall in recent years. Details of the plea agreement were not immediately available. A federal judge will need to sign off on the plea deal for it to be finalized.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/05/31/jeff-pastor-plea-agreement.html

 

Jeff Pastor plea agreement outlines potential prison sentence

 

Federal prosecutors have agreed to seek no more than two years in prison for a former Cincinnati councilman who is set to plead guilty to public corruption charges next week.

 

At a hearing Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Matthew McFarland set a June 7 date for former councilman Jeff Pastor’s change of plea hearing. A plea agreement filed May 31 says Pastor has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of honest services wire fraud.

 

Prosecutors have agreed to seek a prison sentence of up to 24 months, although, as with any federal plea agreement, it’s up to the judge whether to accept the deal. Pastor also agreed to give up $15,000 he forfeited when he was arrested in 2020. The maximum sentence is 20 years in prison. The plea agreement also allows Pastor’s attorney, federal public defender Karen Savir, to ask for probation.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/05/31/jeff-pastor-plea-deal-details.html

 

City of Cincinnati settles with former City Council aide who alleged Seth Walsh's office was too political

 

The city of Cincinnati paid a $30,000 settlement to a fired government aide to Councilman Seth Walsh who alleged she was managed by Walsh’s campaign manager, a situation she felt crossed the line.

 

Now, the city's chief counsel for ethics and good government is conducting an investigation of Walsh, according to the city.

 

To avoid litigation costs, the city solicitor’s office agreed to pay Tristina Allen to settle potential claims regarding her employment on May 22. Solicitor Emily Smart Woerner informed City Manager Sheryl Long before making the decision, according to spokeswoman Mollie Lair.

 

Allen alleged Walsh’s office’s work was tailored to the councilman’s political needs by his campaign manager, Brianna Ledsome, who is not a city employee.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/06/02/cincinnati-settles-walshs-former-aide.html

Former Cincinnati Councilman Jeff Pastor pleads guilty to public corruption charge

 

Former Cincinnati Councilman Jeff Pastor has pleaded guilty to one count of honest services wire fraud in federal court downtown.

 

Pastor, 39, whose attorney handed him tissue paper at one point during the hearing to wipe his eyes, will be sentenced at a date to be determined. The plea agreement he struck with federal prosecutors calls for a sentence of no more than two years in prison, although U.S. District Judge Matthew McFarland will have the final say.

 

Pastor, wearing sunglasses indoors as he departed the courtroom, declined to comment after the hearing.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/06/07/jeff-pastor-guilty-plea.html

 

City attorney refers matter involving Councilman Seth Walsh's office to Ohio Ethics Commission

 

Cincinnati’s ethics and good government counsel referred a matter involving Cincinnati City Councilman Seth Walsh’s office to the Ohio Ethics Commission for additional investigation.

 

Christopher Liu, whose position was created to probe potential ethical wrongdoing at the city in the wake of the 2020 public corruption scandals that took down three council members, found “there is insufficient evidence to support a finding that the office of Councilmember Walsh was used for campaign purposes.”

 

But Liu did refer another matter – whether it was proper for Walsh’s campaign manager, Bri Ledsome, to invite Tristina Allen, a government staffer in Walsh’s office Ledsome hired, to live with her on some weeknights when she was first hired – to the state commission for further investigation into whether it was “improper supplemental compensation.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/06/21/city-attorney-refers-walsh-matter-to-ohio-ethics.html

Former aide Tristina Allen blasts Cincinnati's investigation of Councilman Seth Walsh

 

A former Cincinnati City Council aide who says she was fired in retaliation for raising concerns about how politics dominated Councilman Seth Walsh’s office sharply criticized an investigation of her allegations, saying the conclusions of the city’s ethics watchdog look “like a cover up.”

 

In an interview, Tristina Allen told the Business Courier she was disappointed the city’s report, prepared by the city’s attorney for ethics and good government, Chris Liu, did not address her retaliation allegation.

 

Walsh forced Allen to resign after finding a document outlining her concerns on a City Hall printer. He has said that the forced resignation was not related to that document. Allen alleged Walsh’s office’s work was tailored to the councilman’s political needs by his campaign manager, Brianna Ledsome, who is not a city employee, and that Allen reported to Ledsome. Walsh also fired Ledsome.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/06/26/tristina-allen-blasts-cincinnati-investigation.html

P.G. Sittenfeld will be sentenced in October for two corruption convictions

 

Convicted former Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld will be sentenced in October, according to a July 12 filing in federal court.

 

U.S. District Judge Douglas Cole scheduled the sentencing for Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. A jury convicted Sittenfeld of two felony corruption counts on July 8, 2022.

 

In April, Cole denied a motion to toss out his conviction and order a new trial, saying some of Sittenfeld’s arguments “are a closer call than others” but “none is meritorious.” Sittenfeld is expected to appeal his conviction to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which sits in Cincinnati.

 

The jury convicted Sittenfeld of one count of bribery and one count of attempted extortion. He was found not guilty of four other charges.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/07/12/sittenfeld-sentencing-date-announced.html

 

Prosecutors seek $20K forfeiture from P.G. Sittenfeld – but the convicted former councilman wants to double it

 

Federal prosecutors are seeking $20,000 from P.G. Sittenfeld, the former Cincinnati councilman convicted on public corruption charges in 2022, a forfeiture of a portion of the bribes paid to Sittenfeld’s federal political action committee.

 

In a motion filed Sept. 18, prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Douglas Cole to issue a preliminary forfeiture order “in the form of a personal money judgment.”

 

One of Sittenfeld’s attorneys said the defense offered months ago to turn over $40,000 the PAC was paid by the feds – the $20,000 prosecutors want, plus another $20,000 the government charged Sittenfeld with accepting on the PAC’s behalf as a bribe, but of which he was not convicted.

 

“I didn’t think it was necessary because back in April, we had offered to return not only the $20,000 but the additional $20,000 that he was not convicted of,” Sittenfeld’s attorney, Charles H. Rittgers told the Business Courier, referring to the filing. “We wanted to give them all $40,000.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/09/21/sittenfeld-city-council-convicted-feds-forfeiture.html

 

Prosecutors ask judge to sentence P.G. Sittenfeld to 33 to 41 months prison

 

Federal prosecutors want the judge in the P.G. Sittenfeld public corruption case to sentence him to 33 to 41 months in prison after his convictions on bribery and attempted extortion.

 

“This was not a single event, one-off deal, or momentary lapse in judgment,” assistant U.S. attorneys Emily Glatfelter, Matthew Singer and Megan Painter wrote in their memo to the judge.

 

“Sittenfeld’s actions were part of a broader strategy to use his position of power within local government and his prospects for higher office to extract financial contributions out of individuals who regularly conducted city business.

 

“Sittenfeld made clear that his support for their city business was tied directly to their contributions to him. This is not faithful public service or even ‘politics as usual’ – this is corruption.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/09/27/pg-sittenfeld-councilman-sentencing-memo.html