Embattled Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to testify during a disciplinary hearing on March 31.
Days earlier, Celebrezze admitted in court records to allegations by the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel of steering lucrative work to her longtime friend Mark Dottore.
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Celebrezze will learn of any recommended disciplinary sanctions when Disciplinary Counsel Joseph Caligiuri files closing arguments in writing by April 30, according to Ohio Supreme Court records. Celebrezze and her attorney will have until May 30 to respond. Caligiuiri will then have until June 13 to counter, if he chooses.
Celebrezze’s legal troubles began after The Marshall Project – Cleveland in 2023 investigated the ties between her and Dottore. The reporting was followed by the disciplinary counsel action, as well as a separate ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI.
Just last week, FBI agents reached out to people involved in a divorce, seeking to interview them about how Celebrezze handled aspects of their case.
Celebrezze has conceded in court papers to being in love with Dottore and assigning him receivership cases that allow him to bill wealthy divorcing couples for handling their finances while their cases are pending.
Celebrezze took office in 2009 after voters elected her to replace her father, James Celebrezze, who had served nearly two decades on the Domestic Relations Court and two years on the Ohio Supreme Court.
Neither she nor Dottore has responded to messages seeking comment.
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 Apr 10-23, 2025.