Hubbard Man Charged with Making a False Statement in Connection with Congressional Campaign

February 23, 2010 - William J. Edwards, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the FBI, announced today that an Information has been filed charging John J. Cafaro, age 58, of Hubbard, Ohio, with one count of Making a Materially False Statement in a Matter within the Jurisdiction of the Government.

According to the Information, John J. Cafaro was subject to the campaign contribution limits in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). The Information alleges that John J. Cafaro caused a false report to be submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in connection with the Capri Cafaro for Congress Committee in 2004. Specifically, the Information alleges that between May 5, 2004, and July 15, 2004, John J. Cafaro caused the responsible official of the Capri Cafaro for Congress Committee to file with the FEC a quarterly report that falsely stated that he had contributed only $2,000 to the general election campaign, when in fact, as Cafaro then well knew, he actually contributed an additional $10,000 in the form of a loan to a campaign staffer for the benefit of the general election campaign.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin J. Roberts, following an investigation by the Youngstown office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An Information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.