Ummmm, any way you look at it, this probably isn’t a good thing for Jimmy Dimora.
The former Cuyahoga County commissioner’s trial is now in the final stage, following seven weeks of testimony and a last minute motion for a mistrial on the part of defense attorneys. That request was swatted by Judge Sara Lori, and jurors now are faced with the gravest task of all in participatory democracy: weighing guilt or innocence.
Well . . . it doesn’t seem to be too grave . . . From this afternoon’s trial update at the Plain Dealer, emphasis ours:
AKRON — The jury in the Jimmy Dimora federal racketeering trial deliberated for four hours this morning, and at times could be heard from the courtroom laughing from inside the deliberation room.
Everything comes full circle. Back in the day, Dimora loved to cut up a room of pols or supporters with his corny and off-color jokes. Looks like he’s still got the comedic gift.
This article appears in Feb 29 – Mar 6, 2012.
Thanks Jimmy and Frank. All your funny comments and jokes have helped to make the entire democratic party of the county and state look like ass-holes who all think they are in ca-hoots with the mob and on the take. You fuckers did manage to corrupt a huge amount of people though. I wish you would have corrupted more republicans..but then they all knew you were going down and with who and when along with the PD and the Dispatch and our governor. In fact you guys helped put the governor into office and helped to make the whole State House under republican control-freaked out rule. I could give a fuck about your pool and your little outhouses where you acted like you were Al Capone. Or what construction company gave you a free roof. Peanuts and of little harm…but making a whole political party look like shit in the biggest county in Ohio…that sucks big time. The only thing saving our ass around here from total republican control is that they are as stupid as you were, and just as greedy in a power sense of the word..One signed document which ninety percent of the republican party signed will set them back thirty years here and in the USA and the world at large: The Norquist Pledge. What Jimmy and Frank and gang did with sneakyness, the whole republican party did with one violation of the tax payers and the USA and its people and its free will. While sworn to represent us in government, they chose Grover Norquist and some wealthy corps and rich guys to do their voting….That ain’t right no matter what side of the room you are on.
As a democrat I never understood, why they did not do anything sooner, they gave us democrats a bad name and it will take years to get over these corruptions. Never voted for Dimora, but so many others did, which I could not understand, but after these trials we now know for sure, this was all corruption. The FBI waited too long to do something about it. I fault them too. But when I look what the GOP is offering for candidates of the Presidency, I know, they are even worse. I hope Dimora gets a lot of time and hopefully him and Russo will go to prison soon. Wonder if Russo will wear its toupee in prison ? : )
And in the end the government proved the following: the fat guy loved food (no surprise there), women and Crowne Royal but didn’t want to pay for any of it. The total amount was $166,000 roughly. The real criminal is Frank Russo, who took a bribe of $1,000,000 from an appraisal company and sold so many jobs that he could testify as to the specific number. Frank would lure his employees into his criminal activity with the promises of raises for kickbacks and turns on those same employees to try to get a reduced sentence so that he won’t have to leave his boyfriend behind.
In the end Frank Russo did his biggest sales job on the government, because he will probably get a reduction of his sentence while Jimmy Dimora will have to spend more time at some other dining hall without women and without his beloved Crowne Royal having done far less.
Yes, Jimmy Dimora should be punished but his conduct was not as extreme as the conduct of the government’s star witness, Frank Russo, who is in line for the reduction of his sentence.
Good comments here, I have to say. I don’t see the democratic party suffering a setback though. The voters seem to enjoy voting only along party lines, and democrats understand that not every candidate is a Jimmy D or a Russo clone. People aren’t very smart sometimes, but they are smart enough to know that a democratic vote does not equal a vote in favor of corruption.
I personally don’t care what party they’re from as long as they help dig us out of the huge hole our city is currently in.