Former Cleveland councilman Ken Johnson to be sentenced October 8 with prosecutors seeking a 10-year sentence, and restitution...By editor Kathy Wray Coleman of Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's leader in Black digital news.
Johnson's four-year city council term was set to expire on Dec 31 and though he was suspended from office on April 20 by a three-judge panel of retired judges appointed by Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor and replaced with current councilwoman Marion Anita Gardner , who did not seek election to the seat this year, he, by law, is still receiving his $88, 000 a year salary.
In spite of his convictions, Johnson remained on the ballot for the primary election but came in fourth place. Precinct committee woman Deborah Gray came in first followed by Eric Walker in second place, and they will square off for the upcoming Nov 2 general election.
Johnson was convicted following a two two-week trial before U.S. District Court Judge John Adams, whom prosecutors wrote to and demanded the ten year sentence and restitution at three quarters of a million dollars.
If the judge grants the sentencing demand by prosecutors, he will be a real old man by the time he sees the light of day.
Prosecutors are also asking the judge to sentence Johnson's former executive assistant, Garnell Jamison, 63, to seven years. Jamison was also convicted on July 30, and on all 11 charges listed in his indictment.
Both men are Black and both are free on bond.
After deliberating for four hours, the largely White jury found Johnson guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from a governmental program, five counts of tax violations, six counts of theft from a federal program, and separate counts of tampering with a witness and falsifying
records.
Both men are appealing the jury verdict in their cases. Johnson's attorney, Myron Watson, saying the discrepancies were mere honest mistakes, and Jamison's attorney, David Doughten, basically saying the same thing.
Prosecutors want the judge to order their assets liquidated to pay the hefty fines demanded from the men.
A 15-count indictment against the former councilman was unsealed earlier this year in district court and centered on his monthly expense account relative to city monies he got for his east side ward and federal monies earmarked for the non-profit Buckeye- Shaker Square communities he serves. He was arrested thereafter.
According to the indictment, Johnson demanded the maximum amount of $1,200 monthly for his ward from the city's coffers but could not prove how much of the money, which has allegedly been requested for several years, including in 2019, has been spent.
Prosecutors called a host of witnesses during the closely watched trial, including Johnson's adopted son, practically all of those who took the stand testifying that Johnson was shady, some saying he had them sign documents for money for work they never performed and blatantly put monies in his bank account in an arbitrary fashion.
Prosecutors also said at trial that John Hopkins, 57, the one-time director of the Buckeye-Shaker Square Development Corp who was also indicted and has since pleaded guilty to theft and conspiracy from a federal program, assisted Johnson in steering at least $100,000 to his adopted sons for work that did not perform regarding a landscaping project relative to the nonprofit.
Megan Miller, an assistant U.S. attorney, told jurors during closing arguments Thursday that Johnson is just simply a crook who took advantage of his constituents and utilized other crooks to secure undue monies on the city's dime.
Johnson’s former friend, Robert Fitzpatrick, a 35-year former city employee, was also among those indicted and pleaded guilty to conspiracy involving fraudulent expense reports the councilman filed with the city.
Both Hopkins and Fitzpatrick, once Johnson's ally, testified against the former councilman at trial.
Prosecutors accused Johnson of illegally adjusting his gross income on tax forms to attempt to justify the theft, sometimes as much as $137,000.
Also at issue was what prosecutors said was Johnson's mishandling of federal and state monies regarding the Kenneth Johnson Recreation Center on Woodland Avenue, which is named after the former councilman, and is one of several city recreation centers that Fitzpatrick oversaw.
Johnson took the stand and testified on his behalf in an attempt to rebut the damaging testimony brought forth by the prosecution and said he was shocked and hurt that those who were once close to him turned on him.
Johnson's supporters say the prosecution was politically motivated by Republicans and a series of allegedly racist articles by former Plain Dealer columnist and Cleveland.com reporter Mark Naymik, and that "White council persons do the same thing but are not indicted."
Others say Johnson has misused his office for years and that the verdict fits the crimes.
Naymik left Cleveland.com in 2019 and took a reporting job with WKYC Channel 3 News in Cleveland.
Ward 4 encompasses the Buckeye area near Shaker Square along the Shaker Heights border, and the Woodland Hills and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods.
Cleveland Mayor Jackson, a four-term Black mayor who is not seeking reelection this year and a Johnson ally, has not commented on Johnson's indictment, or his convictions on 15 counts, though City Council President Kevin Kelley, a mayoral candidate who will face Justin Bibb in a runoff election next month, has been critical of Johnson of his former colleague after reporters questioned him on why he overlooked Johnson's criminal activity for so many years .
Mayor Jackson and all of the city council, nearly half of its members Black, are Democrats.
Jackson is the city's third Black mayor.
The offices of mayor and city council are all up for grabs this year
Clevelandurbannews.com and-Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper in Ohio and in the Midwest, and the most read independent digital news in Ohio. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.
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