Contractor Pleads Guilty in County Corruption Probe

(WKYC.com) - Contractor Anthony Melaragno, of Vandra Brothers Construction, pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora.

AKRON - Contractor Anthony Melaragno pleaded guilty Friday in a plea agreement in the Cuyahoga County corruption probe and, as part of that agreement, will give "substantial assistance" to federal prosecutors in their case against former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora.

Melaragno, of Vandra Brothers Construction, pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe Dimora beginning in 2002. In exchange, Melaragno was to get millions worth of county road contracts.

Melaragno faces up to two years in prison. Dimora is scheduled to go on trial in January and has manintained his innocence since the FBI/ATF probe went public in July 2008.

Bedford-based Vandra Brothers Construction poured the concrete for a swimming pool at Dimora's home. According to court documents filed in Melaragno's indictment, Dimora paid for the concrete but not the labor.

In addition, court documents show that the same arrangement was in place in later years when Vandra also poured the concrete footers for Dimora's outdoor bathroom and the concrete pad for his back yard basketball court.

Read the entire article here.

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