Dreamstime
A North Royalton, Ohio, contractor pleaded guilty June 17 to bribing a Cleveland demolition official, Cleveland.com reports.
Martin Fano, owner of ABC Construction, paid Cleveland’s former Demolition Bureau Chief Rufus Taylor $460 in bribes and gave Taylor free meals, according to court records. The bribes were meant to speed up inspections, so Fano could take on more demolition jobs.
Fano also expected special treatment from Taylor and other city officials, according to reports. Recorded conversations exposed Fano giving Taylor cash, asking for Taylor’s help with bills from the city and discussing how Fano wants the inspectors lax in their duties when assessing work, Cleveland.com reports.
Fano admitted to seven counts of honest services mail and wire fraud, and he pleaded guilty the same day as his trial date. Fano admitted to all the charges, and it is unclear if he will serve any time in federal prison, Cleveland.com reports. He will be sentenced on Sept. 25.
Cleveland.com reports that prosecutors have evidence of Fano bribing Taylor on a regular basis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Morrison wrote in a filing, “That is how Mr. Taylor knew that he would be paid for responding to [the] defendant’s requests when the first recorded bribe was paid in September 2016. In sum, that was their regular mode of doing business.”
Taylor pleaded guilty to extortion and bribery and admitted to taking bribes from two contractors and giving them favorable treatment for government-funded demolition projects, Cleveland.com reports. He has not yet been sentenced.