East Cleveland mayor to resign

CLEVELAND (AP) -- East Cleveland Mayor Emmanuel Onunwor, who was convicted earlier this week of using his position to conduct a racketeering enterprise, will resign, his attorney said.
Onunwor will submit a written resignation to the city within a few days, his attorney, John Pyle, said Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge James Gwin refused to release Onunwor from jail on Tuesday, a day after his conviction, citing Onunwor's risk of fleeing because he has family in Nigeria. Onunwor faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine at his sentencing Nov. 24.
Onunwor did not testify in his trial, which began Aug. 16. U.S. Attorney Gregory White said Onunwor received bribes, kickbacks and secret payoffs that were often funneled through intermediaries.
White said the payoffs occurred while Onunwor served as mayor and during previous jobs as city council president and director of community development.
Found him guilty
A federal jury found Onunwor, 46, guilty of one count of racketeering, four counts of mail fraud, 11 counts of extortion, five counts of filing false tax returns and one count of bankruptcy fraud. He was acquitted of witness tampering.
Under the city's charter, Council President Saratha Goggins would succeed Onunwor as East Cleveland mayor. Goggins, 53, said she will run next year for mayor of the community that's one of the poorest in Ohio.
Onunwor became the first black, African-born mayor in the United States when he was elected in 1997. He was born in Nigeria and moved to the U.S. at age 22 to escape the instability left by a civil war.