The corruption charges against former Cincinnati City Council member P.G. Sittenfeld will stand, a judge says.
In a 43-page ruling released March 2, U.S. District Court Judge Douglas R. Cole denies a motion filed by Sittenfeld’s attorneys in December to dismiss bribery and corruption charges from his federal indictment.
FBI agents arrested Sittenfeld at his home in November on a six-count federal indictment for bribery and extortion. Investigators said Sittenfeld had arranged what amounted to campaign donations, though he circumvented election law by directing those payments to a Political Action Committee which he secretly controlled. Sittenfeld promised favorable development deals as he personally accepted 10 checks, for a total of $40,000, in exchange for votes, investigators said.
Cole heard Sittenfeld’s arguments to dismiss on Feb.16 but did not render a decision at that time.
In their motion to dismiss, Sittenfeld’s attorneys claimed unfair pre-trial prejudice and that Sittenfeld’s actions were simply indicative of his pro-development policy, not public corruption.
But in Tuesday’s ruling, Cole says that Sittenfeld’s actions still showed that the indictment should be upheld.
“That is not to say that a jury will find a quid pro quo, even if the allegations prove true,” Cole writes in his ruling. “But there appear to be sufficient facts, if true, to allow a jury to make such a finding, and in any event the government has asserted that more is forthcoming.”
Cole also says that his ruling applies only to Sittenfeld’s motion to dismiss and is not an indication of the former council member’s guilt or innocence.
Before the indictment, Sittenfeld had been considered a frontrunner in this year’s Cincinnati mayoral race. He announced his withdrawal from the race on Feb. 18, the filing deadline for potential candidates.
“It is with a very heavy heart that, due to the current situation, I’ve made the decision not to run for mayor after all,” Sittenfeld wrote on Facebook. “I am completely innocent and am working daily to achieve justice and ensure that the facts are known – but a mayoral effort right now would distract voters from the important issues confronting our city and create even more stress for my family. I love both our city and my family too much to put you and them through that.”
The Cincinnati mayoral election is scheduled for Nov. 2. It will be between the top two vote-getters from the May 4 primary. Several candidates so far have failed to qualify because they did not meet the threshold for the number of valid signatures.
Current mayor John Cranley has served since 2013 and is term limited.
Find election information on the Hamilton County website.
This article appears in Best Of Cincinnati 2021.
