43
Yavorcik seeks to get his law license reinstated
COLUMBUS
With his conviction on eight felonies related to the Oakhill Renaissance Place corruption case overturned, Martin Yavorcik is seeking to get his law license reinstated.
John B. Juhasz, Yavorcik’s attorney, filed a motion with the Ohio Supreme Court asking his client to again be allowed to practice law.
“Accordingly, the respondent [Yavorcik] meets all of the requirements and criteria for reinstatement to the practice of law, and prays for immediate reinstatement to the practice of law,” Juhasz wrote.
The Supreme Court on May 2, 2016, indefinitely suspended Yavorcik’s law license based on the Oakhill convictions.
That came after Yavorcik, an unsuccessful 2008 independent candidate for Mahoning County prosecutor, was found guilty March 25, 2016, of eight felonies: one count each of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, conspiracy and tampering with records, two counts each of money laundering and three counts of bribery. He was sentenced by Judge Janet Burnside of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court to five years’ probation, including the first year on house arrest.
Prosecutors said Yavorcik joined the Oakhill conspiracy in 2008 when he ran for prosecutor with the expectation that if he won he would stop a criminal investigation into blocking Mahoning County’s purchase of a former South Side hospital. Former county Commissioner John A. McNally and ex-county Auditor Michael Sciortino were convicted in the Oakhill case.
But the Cleveland-based 8th District Court of Appeals vacated Yavorcik’s conviction on May 10 of this year, writing in a 3-0 decision that Cuyahoga County was the wrong place to have Yavorcik’s trial because he didn’t commit any crimes there.
The Ohio Supreme Court decided Aug. 29 in a 4-2 decision that it wouldn’t take up an appeal from the Ohio attorney general and Cuyahoga County prosecutor.
In order to get his law license reinstated, Yavorcik was required to take 29 hours of continuing legal education training, including five hours of instruction on professional conduct. In Juhasz’s motion, he included a copy of a transcript showing Yavorcik took 29.75 hours of legal education training.