Bratenahl Man Charged in Connection with Cuyahoga County Public Corruption Investigation

A criminal information was filed charging Harlan Diamond with one count of aiding and abetting mail fraud in connection with the Cuyahoga County public corruption investigation, Sharon L. Long, Deputy Chief, Criminal Division in the Northern District of Ohio; Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the FBI; and Jose A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, announced today.

Diamond, age 76, of Bratenahl, Ohio, is the CEO of Executive Caterers at Landerhaven.

The information charges Diamond with participating in a fraud scheme with former County Commissioner James Dimora to funnel money from Dimora’s campaign account to fund a 50th birthday party for Dimora’s wife.

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 U.S. Attorneys Antoinette T. Bacon and Nancy L. Kelley, following investigation by the Cleveland office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service. The investigation is ongoing.

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.