East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King indicted on multiple charges

East Cleveland Mayor Brandon and former City Councilman Ernest Smith were indicted Thursday by a Cuyahoga County grand jury on multiple charges.

According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, King is charged with the following:

• Two counts of Theft in Office (F4)
• Four counts of Having an Unlawful Interest in a Public Contract (F4 x 2, M1 x 2)
• Four counts of Representation by Public Official or Employee (M1)
• One count of Filing a False Disclosure Statement (M1)
• One count of Soliciting Improper Compensation (M1)

Investigators say that over five years, King authorized a city contract and payments to a business owned by the mayor and his family. Prosecutors say King approved leasing office space for the city's Domestic Violence Department from that family business. Investigators said that that lease was more than $14,000 a year. Additionally, prosecutors say the city purchased nearly $6,000 in cleaning supplies from a company owned by the mayor and his family.
King was also accused of improperly providing Smith with a city vehicle and gas cards.

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Earlier this year, Smith told News 5 Investigators that the vehicle was only used for city business.

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Smith was also indicted on the following charges:

• One count of Theft in Office (F4)
• Two counts of Theft (F5)
• One count of Soliciting Improper Compensation (M1)
• One count of Misuse of Credit Cards (M1)

If convicted of the charges, King would be disqualified from holding any public office for seven years.
A spokesperson for the prosecutor's office said a request would be sent to the Ohio Supreme Court asking King to be suspended from his job as mayor until the case is adjudicated.

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