More than three months after the FBI revealed an investigation into embattled Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze, the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court has started to turn over thousands of pages of records subpoenaed by federal investigators.
So far, court officials say they have turned over hundreds of pages of personnel files and are working to catalog thousands of pages of case files. Court staffers are sifting through boxes of documents in the courthouse basement because the files are not stored electronically. The county hired an outside attorney to be its liaison with federal investigators. A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment.
A federal grand jury subpoena delivered to the court in mid-February showed that FBI agents and federal prosecutors are investigating Celebrezze and the ties she has had to court-appointed receiver Mark Dottore since she was elected in 2008. Celebrezze approved nearly $500,000 in fees for Dottore Cos. LLC between January 2017 and June 2023, The Marshall Project – Cleveland reported.
The subpoena targets contracts, subcontracts, billing information, fee approvals and payment information related to Dottore Cos. LLC. Investigators also want personnel records for Celebrezze and her staff, including performance reviews, evaluations and any public complaints or referrals. Federal investigators have given court officials an extension to deliver the records.
The subpoena came after The Marshall Project – Cleveland detailed in June 2023 how Celebrezze assigned herself several divorce cases and appointed Dottore and his company as a receiver to handle marital property, which can include real estate, cash and businesses, in lucrative divorce cases.
The criminal investigation is not Celebrezze’s only trouble. In early May, the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel recommended that Celebrezze be suspended from practicing law for a year for steering work to Dottore. The counsel recommended that six months of the punishment be dropped, if Celebrezze commits no further misconduct. If suspended, she would be allowed to return to the bench after the suspension. Her current term expires in 2027.
Celebrezze has admitted to being in love with Dottore and already admitted to the misconduct. She invoked her right to remain silent in a disciplinary hearing. She has until May 30 to respond to the counsel’s recommendation.
This article was first published by The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletters, and follow them on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Facebook.
This article appears in Cleveland SCENE 06/05/25 Best of Cleveland.