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Former Columbus City Hall lobbyist John Raphael has pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges for taking bribes from a food vendor in exchange for landing a favorable contract with the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Sentencing is pending. Raphael is a former Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority board member. Prosecutors say he used confidential information to charge clients 144 thousand dollars in bribes. In 2016, Columbus Mayor Andy Ginther s friend was sentenced to 15 months for extorting campaign contributions for city officials from traffic enforcement camera vendor Redflex.
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Former Columbus City Hall lobbyist John Raphael pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges on Wednesday. Federal investigators allege Raphael accepted bribes from a food vendor in exchange for securing a favorable contract with the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Raphael served on the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority board and operations committee, and as treasurer. In these roles, the complaint reads, Raphael had access to confidential information that he was prohibited from using for “private or personal gain, including by providing confidential information to persons not authorized to receive this information for private gain or advantage.
According to a criminal complaint, filed in December in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Raphael billed clients what he called “success fees, which were, in reality, bribes. The kickback scheme spanned from 2013-2015, during which Raphael received approximately $144,000.
Updated: 1:05 PM EST February 3, 2021
COLUMBUS, Ohio A former Columbus lobbyist could spend up to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in a bribery case.
The U.S. Attorney s Office said John Raphael entered a guilty plea Wednesday to honest services wire fraud in connection to a contract with the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Raphael was the treasurer for the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (FCCFA) and also served on its board. That agency ran the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
In 2014, he became a consultant for one of four companies that put in a bid to be a food vendor at the convention center, according to the U.S. Attorney s Office.