June 8, 2010 - Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a one-count information was filed charging former City of Cleveland Fire Inspector Terrance A. Chambers, age 56, of Aurora, Ohio, with one count of bribery in violation of the Hobbs Act, Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951.
Count 1 of the information alleges that between May 2007 and May 27, 2008, Chambers extorted $2,000 in bribes from an unnamed Cleveland business, which was cooperating with the FBI, in exchange for the performance of his official duties as a City of Cleveland Fire Inspector.
U.S. Attorney Dettelbach stated: “The message from today’s filing is very clear: If we find corruption and self-dealing by those entrusted with public duties, our office, along with the FBI, will investigate and will prosecute.”
The maximum potential penalty for conviction under the Hobbs Act violation is 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any period of incarceration. The court may determine the actual sentence under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which depend upon a number of factors unique to each case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, his role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. The actual sentence may be less than the statutory maximum.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean M. Valore following an investigation initiated by the Cleveland office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
An information is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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