BREAKING NEWS - FEDS ARREST EAST CLEVELAND MAYOR

[mabelkitty]

BREAKING NEWS Feds arrest East Cleveland Mayor Federal agents this morning arrested East Cleveland Mayor Emmanuel Onunwor on a 22-count indictment for accepting "bribes, kickbacks and secret payoffs" over his career as a city official. A federal grand jury has been investigating Onunwor and other city officials since last year. In January, the grand jury indicted the city's former community development director on charges of channeling federal money to her relatives through "front companies" and accepting kickbacks in return. The U.S. attorney's office said Onunwor solicited and received numerous bribes from unspecified "intermediaries" that span his career as East Cleveland City Council president, community development director and mayor. Onunwor is to appear in court this afternoon.

[mabelkitty]

Think the Philly mayor is nervous?

[kayak]

ping

[Solson]

Gee...a Dem who takes bribes and kickbacks????

[jimbo123]

[Mo1]

Think the Philly mayor is nervous?

Hopefully he's next

[OXENinFLA]

He must be a DEM, i don't see his party affiliation in the story.

[HairOfTheDog]

See..... could be worse.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Hopefully that crook Daley is next on the list.

[2banana]

No party mentioned - must be a democrat.

Waiting for the race card to be played - should take about 10 minutes...

[Interesting Times]

I bet the mayors of North, South, and West Cleveland are shaking in their boots...

[Momaw Nadon]

He must be a DEM, I don't see his party affiliation in the story.

Bingo!

We have a winner!

[jigsaw]

His Honor.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Aristede's in Cleveland? :)

[jigsaw]

Oops! His Honor's identical brother.

[jigsaw]

Oops! His Honor's identical brother.

Clarification - This is apparently His Honor ... I was referring to Jimbo123 already posting the photo.

[VRWC_minion]

Gee...a Dem who takes bribes and kickbacks????

Don't throw stones in glass houses.

[FreePaul]

Too bad that they waited until too late to look at Houston's recent Mayor.

[CzarNicky]

He actually a Republican

[wingster]

Gee...a Dem who takes bribes and kickbacks????

Yeah, go figure, right!

Well, that's what happens when your moral compass is yourself!

[BigSkyFreeper]

Next thing you know they'll unearth some grainy black and white video of Da Mayor snortin' coke and striking deals for cash in some seedy hotel.

[mabelkitty]

Steffie Tubbs-Jones's district. Rumor is, she actually lives here too.
If he did it, nobody heard about it.
He also may have been strong armed so it wouldn't embarrass Tubbs-Jones after Kerry appointed her to the DNC. They are tight.

Look for the state to take over the schools. I've been hearing rumors about that, as well.

Finally some justice for these folks. They've been hit with utility bills well over $300 when nobody else in the area ever heard of such a thing. Very poor area.

[MineralMan]

"Gee...a Dem who takes bribes and kickbacks????"

Actually, he's a Republican.

[wingster]

Right, which means he's really a Dim at heart, but just did what it says, tried to play politics and change to the GOP.

Maybe he knew what he was doing when he did this, eh.

[lewislynn]

Mayor Emmanuel Onunwor of East Cleveland, the country's first African-born mayor, recently switched his party affiliation from the Democratic to the Republican side

THAT, infiltration, is the problem with the Republican party today.

I wonder how many "freepers" cheered at the news a black African born Democrat switched parties...

[BigSkyFreeper]

Actually, he's a Republican.

Well, so is McCain. If anything, I think this character is a RINO.

[facedown]

Clevetown bump.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Yet *another* corrupt Ohio politician?! Say it isn't so!

[FreePaul]

Playing politics to stay in elected office. How unusual. We here in Texas have a problem in a lot of primaries trying to decide which former Democrat will make the best Republican candidate. This is notable in districts where only Republicans can be elected now. Seems as if a lot of politicians have no party loyalty to anyone or anything but themselves. No surprise.

[b4its2late]

No doubt he'll use the clinton defense.

[SandyInSeattle]

Mayor Emmanuel Onunwor of East Cleveland, the country's first African-born mayor, recently switched his party affiliation from the Democratic to the Republican side, explaining that by doing so he would be better able to help repair his blighted city.

Sorry, guys, he's ours.

[Owen]

Not a good day overall. If he's dirty he has to go down, but if he's a rare black Republican, then this could cost votes in a vote rich area in November.

[b4its2late]

recently switched his party affiliation from the Democratic to the Republican side

Just like Bloomberg.

[wolficatZ]

               

 

"The First Annual Black Rhino Award"

[BigSkyFreeper]

Well, unlike the Democrats, we shouldn't be coddling criminals in the ranks.

[Solson]

Oy!

[BluSky]

Did that phone call get through to Jesse Jackson before they hauled him away?

Red Phone = democrats

Blue Phone = rhino's

[NeoCaveman]

Yet *another* corrupt Ohio politician?! Say it isn't so!

Sad thing is this guy switched parties to Republican not that long ago.

[Happy2BMe]

Is he a Democrat by any chance? Will Jessie Jackson offer to be the mediator? Will John Kerry or Ted Kennedy cry "FOUL?"

[blam]

"Think the Philly mayor is nervous?"

His arrest will come with many, many more...some reaching all the way to Alabama.

[NeoCaveman]

I bet the mayors of North, South, and West Cleveland are shaking in their boots...

North Cleveland? Also known as Lake Erie.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Sad thing is this guy switched parties to Republican not that long ago.

He probably knew what was coming down and figured he'd gratuitously hose the GOP...

[BJClinton]

From Action News Now

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio – 19 Action News Investigator Tom Meyer reported that a secret, criminal investigation now underway was the reason for a serious wake-up call for the mayor of East Cleveland.

The Feds raided City Hall and the home of Mayor Emmanuel Onunwor.

FBI and IRS agents came knocking on the mayor's door before the sun came up and investigators from HUD joined the two agencies in a raid on City Hall.

Onunwor (pictured, above) showed 19 Action News a copy of the search warrant that allowed federal agents to begin searching his home as the mayor's kids were getting ready for school.

"It appears to be a witch-hunt, looking for every way to destroy me," he said.

More FBI agents weren't far away, raiding East Cleveland City Hall and seizing all sorts of financial records from Onunwor's office.

"This whole area is being searched, looking for documents," an FBI agent told The Investigator. "We'll have to ask you to go downstairs."

Agents confiscated the mayor's bank account records; income tax returns; cell phone statements; and a whole lot more.

"They also took $700 in cash from my wife," the mayor said. "She was using (that money) to pay bills."

The mayor has been under FBI investigation for a number of months. The Feds are looking at allegations of payoffs and contract steering. Among the records taken were contracts involving an engineering firm that distributes water for the city.

When Meyer asked Onunwor if he was involved in and criminal misconduct, his reply was vague.

"I don't know. That's why they are here," he said.

As the FBI packed documents into dozens of boxes, the mayor appeared confident that investigators would not find any incriminating evidence.

When asked if he had ever taken a bribe or benefited from a city contract. Onunwor's reply was more direct.

"The answer is no," he said.

Interestingly enough, the mayor maintained his innocence, but still expected to be indicted. For what, he doesn't know, and the Feds aren't talking.

[bonfire]

East Cleveland? No republicans anywhere within 30 miles.

[blam]

"Sorry, guys, he's ours."

Does not matter. Corrupt is corrupt...throw his butt in prison.

[antivenom]

Bet Lee (period) P (period) Brown is...another corrupt mayor...

[NeoCaveman]

He probably knew what was coming down and figured he'd gratuitously hose the GOP...

Probably figured he's be safe as long as he was the same party as the adminstration.... It seemed to work in the Klintoon years.

[Robert_Paulson2]

"He must be a DEM, i don't see his party affiliation in the story."

---

rofl
how true!