John J. Cafaro charged with campaign contribution violation
CLEVELAND — John J. Cafaro, the recently retired vice president of the Cafaro Co., has been charged with one count of making a materially false statement regarding a contribution to the unsuccessful 2004 Congressional campaign of his daughter, Capri Cafaro.
U.S. Atty. William J. Edwards filed an information this morning in U.S. District Court charging that the elder Cafaro caused an official of his daughter’s congressional campaign to falsely report he had contributed only $2,000 to her campaign, when, in fact, he actually gave an additional $10,000 in the form of a loan to an unidentified campaign staff member for the campaign’s benefit.
The offense reportedly occurred sometime between May 5 and July 15, 2004. The false filing was contained in a quarterly report to the Federal Election Commission, which must identify everyone contributing more than $200, the U.S. attorney said.
Capri Cafaro of Liberty, D-32nd, is now a state senator and Senate Minority Leader.
The elder Cafaro was subject to the $2,000 limitation on campaign contributions by individuals, the information says.
The elder Cafaro and his brother, Anthony M. Sr., company president, retired at the end of 2009, and placed the company in the hands of Anthony’s sons, William A. and Anthony Jr., as co-presidents.
The filing of a bill of information typically means a person accused of a crime is cooperating with authorities and agrees to be found guilty of the charges.
An information may only be filed if the defendant waives a grand jury indictment, as the defendant has done in this case.
Cafaro is represented by Atty. Ralph E. Cascarilla of Cleveland.
For the complete story, see Tuesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com