Sam Amico
Former Cincinnati councilman Jeff Pastor has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to accepting bribes, with prosecutors calling his “corruption was flagrant, aggressive, and relentless.”
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According to WLWT:
According to his plea agreement, between June 2018 and January 2019, Pastor accepted and agreed to accept things of value in exchange for favorable official action by Pastor relating to two development projects in the city.
According to the United States attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, in September 2018, Pastor and his associate flew to Miami, Florida, on a private plane to meet with investors regarding a real estate development project. Pastor never paid for or disclosed the trip. During the trip, Pastor explained he would ensure favorable action on behalf of the city for the project and could receive money through his associate’s nonprofit entity (which had been incorporated two weeks prior). Pastor discussed “compensation” and agreed to accept $15,000 for helping with the project. He said the purpose of his associate’s entity was to “sanitize” the money.
After flying back to Cincinnati, Pastor called the investor to “negotiate a monthly retainer” and said that $15,000 would be the retainer fee for providing official action.
On Oct. 4, 2018, Pastor accepted $15,000 in cash. After receiving the money, Pastor continued to solicit additional payment from the investor and others, according to the plea agreement.
Pastor, 40, has 30 days to get his affairs in order before the sentence will begin. He will serve out his sentence in Ashland, Kentucky, per his request.
