Listen Live
WERE AM Mobile App 2020

LISTEN LIVE. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

News Talk Cleveland Featured Video
CLOSE

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo has hired four commercial appraisers from a company whose lawyers admitted paying more than $1 million in bribes to get a contract from Russo.

Destin Ramsey, the auditor’s chief operating officer, defended giving the unposted jobs to the former employees of V.A.S. Enterprises, which also has been accused of doing only $9 million worth of work for the county and collecting $21.4 million in contracts.

“We took the cream of the crop,” he said Thursday. “They created our systems. They worked for us for years. They know what they’re doing.”

But Tim McCormack, who preceded Russo as county auditor, said hiring the former workers in any capacity is inappropriate.

“You just don’t do business with people after that happens,” McCormack said. “The initial reaction I have is that this is not in the best interest of anyone.”

The bribery allegations are part of a sweeping public-corruption investigation focusing on Russo and his friend, county Commissioner Jimmy Dimora. Both men continue to hold office 18 months after the probe became public and despite calls for their resignations.

Documents related to the investigation do not identify them by name, but descriptions of two public officials match them exactly. Neither Democrat has been charged with a crime and they have denied wrongdoing.

But one of Russo’s top aides, Sandy Klimkowski, has pleaded guilty to taking $154,000 in bribes and helping funnel $1.2 million in kickbacks to Russo from representatives of V.A.S. And lawyers Bruce Zaccagnini and Timothy Armstrong, whose firm represented V.A.S., pleaded guilty to paying bribes.

V.A.S. received $21.4 million in county contracts from 1998 to 2009 to set and review values of office buildings, shopping centers and factories. According to an October report commissioned by the county, the company did only $9 million of work.

No V.A.S. employee who handled property valuations has been accused of any wrongdoing.

Read full story.

Article courtesy of: cleveland.com