County officials in probe disclose gifts they received

CLEVELAND (AP) — Two Cuyahoga County officials whose offices were raided in a corruption probe last year have told the Ohio Ethics Commission that they continued receiving gifts in 2008.

One of the gift givers to Auditor Frank Russo said a $100 check was solicited to help pay legal bills, The Plain Dealer reported Friday. The number of gifts he received doubled from 2007.

The state-mandated financial disclosures from Russo and Commissioner Jimmy Dimora were released this month. They list unspecified gifts of at least $75 from fellow politicians, county employees and people who do business with the county.

Dimora told the commission he was limited in answering its questions because the FBI and IRS seized his personal notes and records in July.

No charges have been filed against Russo or Dimora.

Dimora listed unspecified gifts from 35 people and meals from 36 people, many of whom did not appear on past filings, The Plain Dealer reported.

Dimora has not set up a defense fund, his lawyer said. Dimora’s attorney, Richard Lillie, said Dimora is detailed about his record-keeping.

Federal officials are determining whether officials in Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland and is Ohio’s most populated county, received gifts or money in exchange for public contracts.

The state’s ethics board does not ask officials to state details or purpose of a gift, only the names of those who gave something worth more than $75 or provided food and drink worth more than $100.

One of the gift-givers, attorney Michael Climaco in Cleveland, told The Plain Dealer his gift was a $100 check that Russo supporters solicited to help pay the auditor’s legal bills.