Cincinnati City Councilman Wendell Young will remain on council after an effort to unseat him failed.
But a state suspension looms for the Democrat, who is facing a felony charge of tampering with records related to his destruction of text messages about city business in the Gang of 5 civil case.
Republican Councilwoman Betsy Sundermann sought a vote to suspend Young after votes overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in the May primary giving council members the power to suspend a fellow member if they are indicted or arrested on a criminal charge related to their city job.
She needed a vote of 7, but only got 6.
Cincinnati City Councilman Wendell Young entered a plea of not guilty on Thursday.
Young, a Democrat, was indicted earlier this month with the felony tampering charge and is facing up to three years in prison.
In a statement, Patrick Hanley, the special prosecutor who has been investigating Young for more than a year, said that between January and October of 2018, Young knowingly and with the purpose to defraud, destroyed text messages that belonged to a government entity.
Last week, Hanley told Fox 19 he plans to ask the Ohio Supreme Court to initiate suspension proceedings against Young.
Under state law, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor would then appoint a panel of judges to review evidence in the case and decide whether to suspend Young.
Cincinnati City Councilman Wendell Young has been indicted on a single charge stemming from a three-year-old texting scandal.
A Hamilton County grand jury on Thursday charged Young with tampering with records, a third-degree felony punishable by up to three years in prison.
In a statement, Patrick Hanley, the special prosecutor who has been investigating Young for more than a year, said that between January and October of 2018, Young knowingly and with the purpose to defraud, destroyed text messages that belonged to a government entity.
Hanley told The Enquirer this marks the end of his investigation into the Gang of Five case. None of the other four council members accused of illegally texting with each other will be criminally charged.
P.G. Sittenfeld: Feds misstated facts, made âunfairly prejudicial statementsâ
P.G. Sittenfeld: Feds misstated facts, made âunfairly prejudicial statementsâ By Jennifer Edwards Baker and Chris Riva | January 13, 2021 at 10:39 AM EST - Updated February 10 at 8:34 AM
CINCINNATI (FOX19) - The legal team for suspended Cincinnati City Councilman P.G Sittenfeld is continuing its vigorous legal challenge to his federal corruption charges.
In court records filed Wednesday, Sittenfeldâs lawyers accuse federal authorities of misstating facts and the law in his indictment.
The documents also allege U.S. Attorney David DeVillers and FBI Special Agent in Charge Chris Hoffman made âunfairly prejudicial public statementsâ when they held a joint news conference to announce his charges on Nov. 19, 2020.