OH County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora Arrested
Ohio County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora arrested. And here is why this headline is both interesting and important to people in and out of Oh ...the government has been investigating Jimmy Dimora for corruption since 2008. In addition to arresting Dimora, seven others including two judges have been arrested in connection to the federal corruption scheme. As one of three members of the Ohio County Board, Dimora was in charge of many of the contracts and hiring for various county jobs.
WCPN reports that Dimora has been charged with twenty six counts of bribery, mail fraud, and other charges. Dimora plans on fighting the charges until the end:
"I'm not guilty, and I'm gonna defend it. Fight it tooth and nail, and I believe that you'll see at the end of the case, once the evidence is produced by our side that it's a whole bunch of people that got in trouble, that made up lies, that were cut deals with the federal government to get less jail time."
If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all. Perhaps this famous warning should be tweaked for Jimmy Dimora to read: "If you can't say something legal, then don't say anything at all." Much of the case against Dimora was gained from a wiretap on the commissioner. The recordings are said to include Dimora trading city jobs for cash and sex, and making disparaging remarks about many of his fellow civil servants.
Federal wiretapping is often used in large-scale drug investigations, and have recently been gaining popularity in corruption cases such as this one. Secretly taping an individual has questionable legal backing, a point that Jimmy Dimora will likely challenge on constitutional grounds. Because of the obvious intrusion to personal privacy, wiretaps must be approved by a judge, and officers must make attempts to limit the time period and show that the necessary evidence will likely be found in the defendant's private conversations.
Related Resources:
- Feds Use Dimora's Own Words Against Him (Cleavland.com)
- Federal Court Rules Warrantless Wiretap Illegal (FindLaw's Decided)
- Blagojevich Corruption Trial Turns to Wiretaps (FindLaw's Blotter)