Attorney gets prison, must pay restitution

Associated Press

AKRON

An attorney accused of facilitating various bribery schemes has been sentenced to nine years in prison in a public corruption investigation involving county government in Cleveland.

Anthony O. Calabrese III also was ordered Thursday to pay more than $132,000 in restitution. He previously pleaded guilty to racketeering, bribery and other charges in an agreement with prosecutors.

The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reports Calabrese didn’t speak when he was sentenced in federal court in Akron. The court recommended that he be placed at a federal prison as close to home as possible.

Federal prosecutors said the 40-year-old from Chagrin Falls had bribed public officials in exchange for favors benefiting Calabrese, his firm and its clients.

The yearslong corruption probe has led to convictions and prison sentences for dozens of people.