FBI Raids Cuyahoga County Offices
More evidence of corruption inside Cuyahoga County Government. Reports from every major news source in Cleveland are indicating raids in several major county officials offices and residences.
Keep up-to-date on all the developments by staying tuned to Cuyahoga Rough Writers Blog.
5:45 WOIO Video Of Russo/Dimora/Kelley & DAS
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5:08 PM FBI hauls away more evidence in corruption probe
As the FBI continues to seize evidence in its Cuyahoga County corruption investigation, boxes of personnel files and two large file cabinets were loaded into a U-Haul at the county administration building.
And about 15 to 20 agents were at the Bedford Heights complex occupied by Doan Pyramid Electric. Some employees appeared to still be on site.
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3:10 Update: FBI Corruption Probe Raids Construction Businesses
Officials said the searches were part of a long-term public corruption investigation but refused to elaborate. The list of places search indicates that the probe may involve irregularities in construction contracts.
The places searched include: The home of Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, the home of Auditor Frank Russo, the home of county Information Technology Administrator Kevin Kelley, the county administration building, the county Data Center, the county Engineer's Office, DAS Construction in Garfield Heights, Blaze Construction in Middleburg Heights, Doan Pyramid Electric in Bedford Heights and Vincore LLC in Cleveland.
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2:21 PM U-Haul Takes Away Files From Frank Russo's House
A U-Haul truck was pulled up to the rear of Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo's home in Gates Mills. About 8 to 10 federal officials are on the scene and have started loading files into the truck.
Agents had fanned out across the property, which is on a secluded private street off Wilson Mills Road. They took photographs of some of the decorative touches, such as lamp posts, and concentrated a lot of attention on the pool area.
At the same time in Bedford Heights, federal agents took four boxes of material from a building in the Doan Pyramid Electric complex. There are about 10 agents at that facility.
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WTAM Coverage: Commisioner Peter Lawson Jones' Statement on Dimora
In a statement released by County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, he says, "Jimmy Dimora is my friend and colleague..."
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Figliuzzi says the affidavit supporting the search warrant are sealed, so he cannot go into further details.
Figliuzzi did say that it is a broad-ranging investigation looking at the highest levels of Cuyahoga County government.
County Administrator Jim McCafferty confirms that the office of County Commissioner Jimmy DiMora was among those searched. DiMora's home was also searched, as was the home of Auditor Frank Russo.
Also raided was the home of Kevin Kelley, an employee of Russo's.
The third and fourth floors of the Cuyahoga County Administration Building were sealed off. Agents also blocked off the fourth floor of the County Data Center located at 1255 Euclid Avenue and have seized boxes of material.
The DAS Construction Company located at 9500 Midwest in Garfield Heights was also raided Monday morning. Agents reportedly shut down networks and checking systems at the Cuyahoga County Engineer's Office.
19 Action News is reprting that a second construction company is reportedly being raided at Blaze Construction located at 151 Lou Groza Drive in Berea, OH.
Once the search warrants are done being executed, the investigation will move into the prosecution phase. Figliuzzi says that's when more details will be made public.
Figliuzzi would not say how many search warrants were issued, only that there are "many locations" in Cuyahoga County.
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12:37 PM Agents Search Office Frank Russo's Son
Federal agents are searching the offices of Vince Russo, son of Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo.
Vince Russo runs Vincore LLC, a business development and consultant service. Vincore has an office at Burke Lakeftont Airport, which is where the agents are searching.
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12:09 PM WOIO Footage & FBI's Statement On Raid
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11:40 AM Federal agents investigate DAS Construction in Cleveland
An agent wearing a U.S. Treasury Department shirt is inside the office of DAS Construction in an industrial park on the south side of Cleveland.
The IRS is part of the Treasury Department. IRS agents are taking part in a public corruption probe involving Cuyahoga County government.
He had no comment about whether the company is part of a widespread investigation of public corruption that went public at 9 a.m. with the execution of search warrants at the Cuyahoga County administration building, data center and engineer's office.
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11:18 AM WKYC Reports Dimora & Consturtion Company Involved
At the county administartion building, the FBI's Scott Wilson said the raid was the culmination of a longstanding investigation but did not elaborate when asked by Channel 3's political correspondant Tom Beres.
FBI and Internal Revenue Services vehicles encircled the building early this morning. They have questioned and released dozens of employees on the third and fourth floors.
Those employees were told to go home.
People inside the building said the search warrants are being executed on the third and fourth floors and that the warrants are focused on information regarding public corruption.
The third floor is where Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo's office is and the fourth floor houses the Cuyahoga County commissioners -- Jimmy Dimora, Tim Hagan and Peter Lawson Jones.
In addition, Channel 3's Investigator Tom Meyer has learned that the FBI is also raiding Cuyahoga County Engineer Bob Klaiber's office over on Stonebridge Avenue. Sources inside the county engineer's office told Channel 3 News that the focus is not on Klaiber but on one of his employees.
Overall, Meyer added that the employees are allegedly being asked if they gave political contributions to office holders or were asked to work on political campaigns.
Channel 3 News is also hearing that one of the main questions center around a construction company that had dealings with Dimora and received county contracts but that remains unconfirmed.
Meyer placed a call to the county administration building and was told that the building was conducting a fire drill.
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10:05 AM Up to 200 FBI and IRS agents help with searches in corruption probe
As many as 200 agents from the IRS and FBI, including the entire Northeast Ohio IRS criminal unit, are involved in executing search warrants as part of an investigation of corruption in Cuyahoga County government.
Agents from Pittsburgh have been brought in to help with the searches.
The searches were conducted under the authority of a sealed affidavit filed in U.S. District Court.
The FBI served search warrants this morning at the Cuyahoga County administration building, the data center and the county engineer's office.
At about 9 a.m., a contingent of about 10 people from the FBI appeared at the county's information services center, across from the Wyndham Hotel downtown. Staffers were told to stay away from their computers and not to use their cell phones. They were sent to a cafeteria and told they could go home if because they wouldn't be able to work today.
About 80 staffers are employed at the center, which does computer work for various county agencies.
Sources said warrants also were served at the homes of County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora and County Auditor Frank Russo.
At least nine cars were spotted at Dimora's Independence home. Six cars were at Russo's home on Wilson Mills Road, and agents were taking photos of things like a statue in the yard.
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Video of Statment Issued by FBI
| FBI and IRS search county building in corruption investigation |
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